BEIJING, March 23: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that Nepal is not now in a situation requiring the signing of an emergency oil deal with China. He, however, was quick to add that Nepal will enter into a fuel deal after completing certain preparatory steps needed for that.
Prime Minister Oli, while talking to Republica on the third day of his China visit on Tuesday, looked calm while saying “Earlier, there was a crisis. But Nepal right now isn’t in a crisis that requires signing an emergency fuel deal with China. Therefore, we aren’t in any haste to sign such a deal.”
He explained that there are certain things that need to be taken to a logical conclusion before signing a fuel deal. “We had announced we are to prepare for a trade agreement that includes so many things and we can import fuel from anywhere,” he said. “We can use ports in both India and China for transit and as a sovereign country we can sign a deal with India and China as well.”
He also indicated that the joint communiqué to be issued on Wednesday will include issues about fuel trade with China and extending the Tibet Railway up to Nepal. “The commitment to connect the railway with Nepal and other things will be there [in the joint communiqué] but we also need to do preparatory work for the railway connection and for building a trilateral economic corridor.”
He claimed that his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jingping and Premier Li Keqiang weren’t just courtesy calls but they also held extensive talks on bilateral issues and that has laid the ground for opening doors for new possibilities.
He said that the 10-point agreement signed on Monday had added a new chapter in Nepal-China relations. “The transit transport agreement has added a new chapter in Nepal-China relations. Nepal is a land-locked country but not India-locked, so it can claim its transit right to the sea,” he said.
He further claimed that no one can stop a country from doing anything if that works in its national interest without causing any harm to a neighbor. “The transit agreement between Nepal and China is in itself a breakthrough and this will help change our situation and give Nepal a new status,” he said.
Stating that Nepal has become a dialogue partner of the Sanghai Cooperation Organization, Oli said Nepal will now head toward getting observer status and finally becoming a member state. China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are current members of the organization.
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