As the process to build economic corridors in the eastern and western Himalaya with other countries has made some progress, the governments of the three countries should now give priority to a trilateral economic corridor in the central part through Nepal, said experts.Experts have widely discussed the proposed China-Nepal-India economic corridor, Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor and China-Pakistan economic corridor in the first Trans-Himalaya Development Forum organized by the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), a think tank under China's State Council, in collaboration with the Dehong Prefectural People's Government under Yunnan province of China.
Experts and scholars have called for strengthened cooperation under theme of trans-Himalaya development cooperation and One Belt One Road initiative. Attracts more then 100 scholars from Nepal, China, India, Pakistan, Afghinistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the four-day forum concluded on Wednesday with five consensus.
Stating that the construction of BCIM economic corridor in Eastern section and China-Pakistan corridor in Western section has made some progress, Prof Ma Jiali, executive deputy director of China Reform Forum, said the government of China should now give top priority to China-Nepal-India corridor. "We know the strategic importance of the central Himalayan region. So, the China-Nepal-India corridor should be the next top priority," said he.
Prof Ma said the government of Tibet Autonomous Region has been holding talks with the central government in Beijing to extend the Qinghai-Tibet Railway up to Kathmandu via Kyirong . "We are in urgent need of the trilateral economic corridor from which all the three countries -- China, India and Nepal-- can directly benefit," he added.
During his visit to China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reached a preliminary agreement with the Chinese government to construct a trilateral economic corridor. After the foreign minister of India and China reached an informal agreement to carry out a feasibility study for the trilateral corridor while they were in Nepal to participate in the donor conference in Nepal, the prospect of a trilateral economic corridor has became more real.
Speaking at the function, participants from Nepal said a joint-team of all the three countries should be formed to carry out the feasibility study.
Former ambassador of Nepal to China Rajeshwar Acharya said as the two neighbors are ready for the trilateral economic corridor, the government of Nepal should now carry out necessary preparations. He said that Nepal can seek multiple benefits from the trilateral corridor.
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