Nepal should accept OBOR proposal: Dr. Thapa

Boosts trade and business exchanges, says Rajkarnikar

Kathmandu, Mar. 24: Dr. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, coordinator of Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations has said that Nepal should accept the proposals sent by China on the 'One Belt One Road (OBOR)' initiative at the earliest.

Talking to The Rising Nepal, the seasoned diplomat remarked that including the country in the international network like the OBOR would enhance connectivity within and beyond the region which would ultimately contribute to infrastructure, market and economic development.

"No one should be worried about Nepal being involved in the initiative. Although it is proposed by China, it would connect the entire region and European countries. As long as Nepal exercises balanced neighbourhood policy, our southern neighbour will have no grievances," he said.

According to Dr.Thapa, China has advanced technology and better financial capacity and Nepal should have better plan to transfer the latest technology and channelize financial support in infrastructure development and other industrial setup.

"But, Nepal lacks enthusiasm to be part of such a big project. We need better connectivity with China. We are unable to operate more than one border point, Rasuwagadhi, to the north whereas although we have better connection with India, it is all thorough traditional channel and infrastructure. Nepal should be expediting the process to modernize the border points and constructing infrastructure," he said.

Due to difficult  topography, Nepal need a huge budget to develop infrastructure like roads, railways, custom points, dry ports at the northern border, in which China has pledged support.

However, Nepal hasn't endorsed the OBOR Agreemo even after more than six months the northern neighbour sent to the government.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) sources said that Foreign Minister Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat had cold response to the Agreemo.

"It is pathetic that while Nepal should have taken initiatives for enhanced connectivity between the two countries, it has been missing the opportunity to include itself in the helm of international connectivity and development," remarked Dr. Thapa.

The OBOR initiative will provide Nepal the opportunity to access to about 70 countries in and around the network, and open new avenues of trade and investment.

OBOR International Trade Platform Nepal Committee president Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar said that the government had no idea about the scale of economic activities that the initiative would bring to the country.

"The northern neighbour has every technology that we want here for business to infrastructure development like hydroelectricity. They are interested in investing in tourism, agriculture and infrastructure projects," he said.

He said that the Nepal secretariat of the OBOR was expanding the initiative to the district and municipality levels in order to find our business and investment projects where Nepal and China could collaborate.

"We should expedite the process without fearing of any country or international network, if it is in the national interest, and the OBOR will prove beneficial to the country in multiple ways. It will connects us with the global value chain," said Rajkarnikar.

Few districts and municipal chambers of comer and industry in Nepal had already signed Memorandum of Understanding with the OBOR International Trade Platform.

The OBOR is a strategy to develop transportation infrastructure connecting Europe and Asia, about 65 countries responsible for 70 per cent of the world's population, with its primary focus on connectivity and cooperation among the countries in the network.

It connects the countries which lie on the ancient Silk Route in Central Asia, West Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It also includes Oceania and East Africa.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Xinping in 2013, it is also known as Belt and Road, Belt and Road Initiative, the Silk Road Economic Belt or the 21^st-century Maritime Silk Road.