KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Foreign Minister, NP Saud, has contradicted claims made by the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, regarding the progress of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Nepal.
Minister Saud addressed the International Relations and Tourism Committee on Monday and explicitly stated that the BRI project has not been put into action in Nepal thus far.
The Chinese Ambassador had previously stated that the recently completed Pokhara International Airport was a result of the BRI project. However, Minister Saud firmly denied this, emphasizing that although Nepal signed a BRI agreement with the Chinese government in 2017, no tangible plans or initiatives have been implemented in alignment with the agreement.
Furthermore, Minister Saud disclosed that the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an American aid project, is scheduled to commence its implementation phase in August of next year.
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