FM Khanal stresses proactive ecological partnership between Nepal and China

Kathmandu, Sept. 12

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has said that the disaster of August 26 was obviously a severe trial, but it has not broken the national resolve.

"With clear vision, mutual trust, and steered purpose, we will restore dangerous routes, reinforce fragile sites, and build resilient communities," he said while speaking at a dialogue on 'Nepal-China relations: Expanding horizons of cooperation' organised by Foundation for Peace, Development and Socialism (FPDS) in Kathmandu on Saturday.

He said that recent tragedy brought home an undeniable truth that between Nepal and China, geography does not merely mark a political boundary, it binds their shared destiny.

Stating that nature does not recognise administrative divisions, FM Khanal said when glacial lakes swell, when weather patterns shift erratically, or when fragile mountain slopes give way, the hazard is trans-boundary.

"Therefore, our bilateral cooperation must evolve from conventional border management into a proactive ecological partnership. Environmental resilience and climate security must become the bedrock of our 21st-century statecraft," said FM Khanal, while adding that the Himalayas must not be remembered as a barrier that separates us, but embraced as a shared sanctuary that demands collective stewardship.

According to him, through real-time satellite data-sharing, joint meteorological forecasting, and coordinated early-warning networks against glacial lake outburst floods, ecological shocks could be benefitted before they claim lives.

He also said that as Nepal champions mountain diplomacy on the world stage—advocating for climate finance, technology access, and loss and damage mechanisms—its partnership with China must model how two mountain neighbours protect their shared roof of the world.

Likewise, FM Khanal said that by establishing joint innovation laboratories, institutional incubation centres, and structured technology transfer, Nepal and China can co-develop AI-driven solutions tailored for mountain economies—optimising precision agriculture, digitizing public service delivery, and automating disaster risk responses.

Unsustainable trade deficit

Talking about the bilateral trade between the two countries, Foreign Minister Khanal said that they must address trade imbalances. "While China is our largest source of Foreign Direct Investment and our second-largest trading partner, a bilateral trade deficit exceeding 15 billion Yuan is structurally unsustainable," he said, and added, "Addressing this gap requires practical trade statecraft. We seek technical cooperation for quarantine harmonization, including the prompt establishment of a certified Multi-Functional Laboratory in Nepal."

This will enable high-value Nepali agro-products, specialty coffee, tea, and medicinal herbs to genuinely benefit from duty-free access to China’s vast consumer market. FM Khanal also invited high-grade Chinese investment into clean manufacturing, ecotourism, and agro-processing.

He said that the two countries are committed to translating the Trans-Himalayan Multidimensional Connectivity Network from a visionary blueprint into tangible arteries on the ground.

However, this demands disaster-resilient upgrades across the northern gateways including modernising critical customs checkpoints, operationalising high-altitude border ports into fully functional, year-round commercial hubs, and rebuilding severed highways, bridges, and cross-border corridors with climate-hardened engineering capable of withstanding ecological shocks.

 

'Tackling climate challenge, a common goal'

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of China to Nepal Zhang Maoming said that the common goal of Nepal and China is to tackle climate related challenges created by global warming as both the countries are severely affected by it.

He said the recent catastrophic floods and mudslides in the Bhotekoshi river is another painful reminder that no country can face climate change crisis alone.

He highlighted the severe economic losses including the damage of homes, livelihood, industries and hydropower projects by the torrents, and said, "We must stand together and jointly cope with these challenges. China is ready to work with Nepal in information sharing in hydrological and meteorological problems."

According to Zhang, political parties and governments with effective vertical coordination and robust implementation capacity can exercise strong overall planning, coordination, organisation and mobilisation in the face of major disasters, and effectively safeguard people's lives and property.

He suggested maintaining close high-level interaction, advance high-quality belt and road cooperation and practical cooperation, and deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges between Nepal and China.

 

Khanal suggests stronger digital connectivity

Likewise, former prime minister Jhala Nath Khanal said that stronger physical and digital connectivity could expand trade, tourism, investment and people-to-people relations between Nepal and China.

Discussing changes in the international system, he referred to China’s rise, the growing relevance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, trends towards de-dollarisation and the gradual shift in global influence towards the Global South. He argued that Nepal should carefully assess these transformations and position itself strategically within the emerging global order while protecting its sovereignty and national interests.

According to Khanal, Nepal and China should exhibit greater seriousness in advancing the agreed projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), particularly those relating to the Trans-Himalayan Multidimensional Connectivity.

Expressing appreciation for China’s people-centred approach to development, he encouraged Nepali youths to develop their capacities in technology, entrepreneurship and digital innovation. "Cooperation in science, technology and innovation could become an important new pillar of Nepal–China relations," he said. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 13 September 2026.