Kathmandu. Finance Minister Dr. KATHMANDU: Swarnim Wagle has pledged not to allow any neighbouring side to misuse of Nepal’s territory, adding that the government has accorded top priority to its friendship with China, a reliable partner of development.

At a programme on ‘Travels to Inner Mongolia alongside the sound of Basanta’ organized by the Chinese Embassy here today, Minister Gyawali extended gratitude to the Chinese government for its support in the socio-economic development of Nepal.

Finance Minister Wagle expressed the belief that the long-term relations with China would be further strengthened in the future. He said the cultural richness of Inner Mongolia was important for bilateral cultural exchanges.

Lauding the Chinese side for transforming Nepal-China relations from landlocked to land-linked relationship based on five principles of peaceful coexistence, Finance Minister Wagle said Nepal wanted to learn from the development achieved by China.

He said, “The National Independent Party has included in its manifesto the issues of Chinese prosperity and Nepal’s need to move ahead on the path of economic prosperity by learning lessons from it.”

Finance Minister Dr Wagle said that the assistance the country has received in terms of the construction of the Ring Road, its expansion with Chinese assistance, feasibility study of Kerung-Kathmandu road, railway and Madan Bhandari University, Civil Hospital and other physical infrastructures of the country were incomparable.

Stating that discussions were underway with Chinese side for deepening partnership in Nepal in the areas of mutual benefit including establishment of a Chinese bank, agriculture and tourism, he said good governance, economic and prosperity were at the centre of the agenda of the government.

National Assembly vice-chair Leela Kumari Bhandari said Nepal was fully committed to the principle of one China, stressing the need of taking the bilateral relations between Nepal and Nepal based on Panchasheel philosophy to a new height.

He also expressed gratitude for the continued support China has been providing to Nepal as its reliable development partner. Stressing the need of further consolidating the existing cooperative relations between the two countries, Vice-President Bhandari expressed happiness over the deepening of the seven decade-old Nepal-China relations in economic, social and cultural fronts.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Zhang Maoming, expressed gratitude to the government and people of Nepal for the support and cooperation and expressed that he was mesmerized by Nepal’s culture and natural beauty.

He also expressed China’s determination to make the Nepal-China Strategic Partnership everlasting, and expressed China’s desire to enhance Nepal’s development efforts through the Belt and Road. Ambassador Zhang expressed his confidence that the 15th Five-Year Plan recently adopted by China would not only contribute to China’s development but also to the development of neighboring countries.

Reiterating the determination to make possible efforts to further strengthen the bilateral relations at the people’s level, he pledged to implement the agreements and agreements reached in the past.

On the occasion, folk culture and music of Inner Mongolia were presented by artists of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Province.