Kathmandu: Nepal and China have agreed to cooperate in various sectors including trade, transit, connectivity, investment, health, tourism, poverty alleviation, disaster management, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, among others.

The two countries reached the agreement during the 14th meeting of the Nepal-China Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism held virtually on Wednesday afternoon. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release that Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Mr Wu Jianghao had led their respective delegations in the meeting.

On the occasion, the two sides took stock of Nepal-China relations and exchanged views on furthering bilateral relations and cooperation for mutual benefit.

During the meeting, the two sides underscored the importance of the exchange of high-level visits and the need for timely implementation of the agreements and understandings reached between the two countries.

Foreign Secretary Paudyal thanked the Chinese Government for the generous support of life-saving vaccines and medical supplies to Nepal during the difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistant Minister Wu assured the Foreign Secretary Paudyal of China’s support for the improvement of health infrastructures and capacity building of medical personnel in Nepal.

The two sides also agreed to activate bilateral mechanisms to enhance cooperation and partnership in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also emphasized the need for timely completion of China-assisted projects.