Nepal bowed to Chinese pressure, signed BRI only after withdrawing from the condition of taking grants.

Kathmandu, 04 December (HS). A framework has finally been signed between Nepal and China regarding the implementation of Belt and Road Initiative projects. On Wednesday, the last day of Prime Minister KP Oli’s visit to China, Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Amrit Rai and Li Sushe, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission from China, signed a document named BRI Framework Cooperation in Beijing.

Prime Minister Oli’s secretariat has made public a photo giving information about the signing of the BRI agreement. Neither the Prime Minister himself nor the Foreign Minister Dr. Arju Deuva is visible in this picture. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Krishna Prasad Dhakal said that the signing was done after removing the word grant proposed by Nepal and writing the word cooperation in it. Before the Prime Minister’s visit to China, the Cabinet of Nepal Government had decided to sign the BRI agreement only on the condition of providing grants under BRI, but China rejected Nepal’s proposal outright. This is the reason why the agreement could not be signed during the meeting with the Prime Minister and President of China on Tuesday. China’s terms were signed on Wednesday, hours before the Prime Minister’s return.