The prime minister, talking to a select group of journalists at his official residence on Sunday afternoon, also disclosed that the Chinese side had “suggested” him to not make an announcement of Wen´s visit to Nepal in advance. [break]
The Chinese side had informed Nepal of Wen´s visit only on last Thursday morning, some 48 hours before Wen arrived Nepal. The government did not announce the visit until an hour before Wen´s plane landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport at 11:50 am, Saturday.
“The visit was not announced, [fearing] as the Tibetan activities have intensified recently. This should not be taken otherwise,” the prime minister urged the journalists, expressing happiness that no untoward incident occurred during Wen´s visit.
Visibly happy with the success of the visit, the prime minister also shared with the media that only two ministers and four government secretaries had known about the visit. He then held a meeting with security chiefs on Friday evening to discuss security arrangements for the visit.
“The visit was not announced because we are not very weak,” the prime minister said.
The prime minister also tried to answer as to why the Chinese prime minister cut short his Nepal visit. Wen had stayed only for nearly four hours in Nepal before he left for Qatar.
“The visit is important in terms of its substance though it was short. It was a formal and working visit. It should not be taken that less importance was attached to it,” the prime minister said.
PM for redefining foreign policy
Saying that he gives high priority to the foreign policy of the country, the prime minister and stressed on the need to redefine the country´s foreign policy to take advantage of the rise of China and India.
“It is necessary to redefine our foreign policy in this context [rise of India and China],” the prime minister said, adding, “I believe that our existence lies only on a timely change of our foreign policy.”
He was of the view that Nepal as an “inanimate” buffer state cannot define its role in the context of rise of China and India, and stressed that the development of Nepal as a bridge between the two giant neighbors is a compulsion in the changed context. ”I had intuitively felt since the conflict time that Nepal should be developed as a vibrant bridge between China and India,” said the prime minister.
He said that his vision of Nepal serving as the bridge between India and China can be materialized through development of infrastructures, establishing railway connectivity and constructing north-south roads. He was of the view that such a development will attract investment from both the countries and the USA.
“By taking into confidence the US, China and India, there is a potential for development” the prime minister said.
The prime minister said he also shared his vision for developing Nepal as a bridge between China and India with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao during his meeting with the latter on Saturday.
“He keenly noted down my vision of developing Nepal as a bridge between China and India,” the prime minister said.
His idea of two thinktanks
The prime minister said he has felt the need for establishing the Institute of Strategic and Foreign Affairs Studies and Institute of the Economic and Development Studies to be run under the government grant, so that such think-tanks may give inputs to the government in making of policies on foreign affairs and economic development.
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