China: Challenge and Opportunity
According to Jhal Nath Khanal, Prime Minister of Nepal, “Chinese investors are looking for investment opportunities in every nook and corner of the globe.” Addressing a Trans-Himalayan Border Commerce Association yesterday, he added a request that “the business community furnish details of the prospective areas wherein we can invite Chinese investments in our country.” He sees being a neighbor to China as “both a challenge and opportunity for us.” This was a rather interesting choice of language since in Chinese, the symbol for challenge is the same as that for opportunity. Geographically, he noted, Nepal has the opportunity to greatly benefit “from the development taking place” there.
At the same time however, Nepal recognizes its need to “attain anything that is closer to stupendous Chinese development.”
According to an article in the Nepal Telegraph, there will be an expansion of the Kathmandu-Tatopani Kodari highway and once the border point of Rasuwagadi starts operating to full capacity, “trade between Nepal and China will increase substantially.” Further, Durga Bahadur Shrestha (Trans-Himalayan Border Commerce Association chair) demanded that the Prime Minister “immediately initiate widening the Kordari highway,” with the “existing link being converted to a six lane highway.”
Of course, all geographical improvements and additions in these areas will have a positive impact on trade which will then in turn, improve the situation for potential investors. The more access there is to each place, the easier things are for any kind of trade and investment and this is what Nepal is counting on.