简体中文
On October 22, Nepal's Ambassador to China, His Excellency Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, gave an exclusive interview to Asia Pacific Daily, during which Ambassador Pandey spoke on the issue of the Covid-19 pandemic and China-Nepal cooperation and long-standing friendship.
Speaking of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ambassador Pandey thought highly of Chinese government’s response to the pandemic. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, China adopted timely, effective and strict measures, brought the epidemic under control within a short period of time, and quickly put the economy and society back on the right track. Ambassador Pandey said that China has played a leading role in the fight against the pandemic, and its various measures to combat the pandemic should be learned and followed by other countries.
In addition to recognizing China’s efforts in combating the pandemic, Ambassador Pandey also mentioned the mutual help between China and Nepal during the pandemic. He said that the Nepalese government and people from all walks of life have donated a large number of medical masks to China, and China has also provided medical assistance to Nepal, including medical equipment and personnel.
As neighbors, China and Nepal enjoy a time-honored friendship and have conducted long-term cooperation in trade, tourism, investment, production capacity and people's livelihood. Ambassador Pandey said that China is now the world's second largest economy with rapid economic and social development. In its contacts with Nepal, China has provided a lot of assistance to Nepal and promoted its economic development.
In 2013, China put forward the “Belt And Road” initiative. Ambassador Pandey said that the initiative has promoted cooperation and contacts between China and Nepal in economic development, scientific and technological progress, social harmony and infrastructure construction. Ambassador Pandey also said that the initiative is conducive to the sustainable development and prosperity of the world and reflects China's efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind. It is of great significance to all countries in the world.
In the interview, Ambassador Pandey said that Nepal agrees with the "one China" principle, and said that China and Nepal share the same political consensus and many cultural commonalities, and can continue to move forward together in the future development.
Regarding the recent tensions between China and India over the border disputes, Ambassador Pandey vividly compared the contradictions between China and India to that between the two neighbors. He advocated that China and India should resolve the issue through dialogue, and that both sides should respect basic facts and evidence and use wisdom to properly resolve differences.
Ambassador Pandey, who was involved in the left-wing political movement since the 1960s, is a senior politician of the ruling communist party of Nepal. He was appointed in 2014 as Nepal's foreign minister. In April this year, he was appointed ambassador to the People's Republic of China.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
