There is no border dispute between Nepal and China: Foreign Minister Gyawali

KATHMANDU, Dec 4: Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Gyawali on Friday said that there is no border dispute between Nepal and China.

Speaking at the Parliamentary International Relations Committee meeting, Gyawali said that some media disseminated 'fake news' mentioning about China's encroachment on Nepal's territory.

The foreign minister also said similar news pieces about land encroachment from Chinese side in Limi village in Humla district had surfaced four years ago as well. The government had then formed a probe committee to see if the news was true.

"The probe committee comprising officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Land Reform had later shown that the Chinese side had constructed buildings some 1 kilometer away from the Nepal-China border. New buildings were constructed by Chinese authorities for their border security personnel in the same area now," the foreign minister said.

Minister Gyawali also said that a team led by Chief District Officer (CDO) of Humla district visited the Limi village of Humla and verified that there is no encroachment upon Nepali territories from the Chinese side.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already said that based on the official records, reports of the joint field inspection and boundary maps, has verified and confirmed that the said buildings are not located within the Nepali territory.

"It may be recalled that the matter of buildings in question also surfaced in some media in 2016. An inter-ministerial team after the field inspection had concluded that the said buildings were located approximately one kilometer inside the Chinese territory from the Nepal-China border," Gyawali said.

Gyawali said the boundary between Nepal and China was delineated and demarcated based on the Boundary Treaty and Boundary Protocols signed between the two countries. "Nepal and China have always maintained close communication on border matters," he said.

Talking about Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe's recent visit to Nepal, the foreign minister said that the visit was fruitful to exchange views on military support as well as to further strengthen bilateral relations. He said that the visit was helpful to expedite bilateral deals signed between China and Nepal during Chinese President Xi Jinping's historic visit to Nepal in November last year.