On February 5, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali at the latter’s request.
Wang Yi said that since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Nepal have helped each other, strived to work together to defeat the virus, and carried out sound cooperation in the anti-virus fight. China has been earnestly fulfilling President Xi Jinping’s commitment to making Chinese COVID-19 vaccines a global public good. China attaches great importance to Nepal’s urgent need of COVID-19 vaccines and has decided to provide the first batch of vaccine aid for Nepal and to facilitate its purchase of vaccines.
Wang Yi said that President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Nepal in 2019 lifted the bilateral relations to a new level. At the end of last year, President Xi Jinping and President Bidhya Devi Bhandari exchanged letters and jointly announced the new height of Mount Qomolangma, sending a positive signal about the time-honored friendship and thriving relations between the two countries to the outside world. The two sides should continue to make every effort to implement the results of Xi’s visit to Nepal and promote the continuous development of China-Nepal relations.
Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said that Nepal and China are all-weather friends. Nepal appreciates China’s support for it in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will continue to firmly adhere to the one-China principle and will never allow any forces to engage in anti-China activities in Nepal. The Nepali government and people are grateful for China’s timely and valuable vaccine aid, and stand ready to continue to deepen anti-pandemic cooperation with China. Nepal is ready to work with China to well implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen cooperation in various fields and push for further development of bilateral relations.
The two sides also exchanged views on Nepal’s domestic situation. Wang Yi said that China adheres to the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs and respects the development path chosen by the Nepali people. As a friendly neighbor, China hopes that all parties and factions in Nepal will bear in mind the fundamental and long-term interests of the country and its people, seek common ground while shelving differences, and maintain unity and stability, so as to create favorable conditions and environment for its own development and prosperity.
