Tibetan Review
March 21, 2009

Nepal has asked China to extend its railway from
Tibet’s capital Lhasa to Lumbini, the Buddha’s
birthplace, via its capital Kathmandu as the two
countries decided to enhance their bilateral
ties, reported the country’s official daily The
Rising Nepal Mar 18. It said Nepal’s Prime
Minister Prachanda and visiting Chinese Assistant
Minister for Commerce Chen Jian discussed a
number of issues, including water resources
management, constructing outer Ring Road in Kathmandu, and the railway.

Regarding the railway, the report said, "Chinese
assistant minister responded positively to the
request, saying his government was committed to
extending necessary support to Nepal."

Chen was on a four-day visit to Nepal beginning
Mar 15 in connection with an upcoming meeting of
Nepal-China Inter-Governmental Economic and Trade
Committee. It came close on the heels of the
visit of China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Hu
Zegyue's, during which he handed over a draft of
Nepal China Friendship Treaty to Nepalese officials.