China for rail link to Tibet with India
Proposal mooted by China during Prime minister Narendra Modi's visit
Beijing: China has proposed a trilateral economic corridor with India through Nepal and a railway line linking the three nations via Tibet besides undertaking joint reconstruction projects to rebuild quake-hit Nepal. The India-Nepal-China Corridor is a major initiative to promote the connectivity in the region especially between China and India and help quake-ravaged Nepal, said Huang Xilian, deputy director general of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese foreign ministry.
The proposal mooted by China during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit here in May was received positively by him, Huang said. The proposal was discussed in the recent meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of an international conference on Nepal reconstruction in Kathmandu last month. “The two ministers had further discussion on this topic and reached consensus. We need to work together for the process of reconstruction of Nepal and we need to setup a joint study group to explore the feasibility of the Corridor,” said Huang, the foreign ministry’s point man for India.
“We are ready to set up study group for economic corridor. If we can reach an agreement on feasibility we are ready to push forward it as it will bring benefit to the three countries,” he said.
He also spoke about China's interest to build railway line through the Himalayan passes of Tibet connecting Nepal and India. “The construction of this railway will help to materialise a dream. We need to have a feasibility study on it. We need to have consultations among the three. If India shows some interest we can respond positively,” he said.
China also dropped the much publicised plan to construct a high speed rail link through Mt. Everest, which Huang dismissed as imagination of a retired railway official.Asked about the media reports about plans to build 540-km long high speed railway cutting through Mt Everest, Huang said an official who quoted in this regard is full of imagination.