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Nepal-China Transit And Transport Agreement
Nepal-China Transit And Transport Agreement
KTM Metro Reporter
September 9, 2018
Kathmandu: The delegation of the Joint Secretary level of both China and Nepal have concluded the Protocol of Transit And Transport Agreement (PTTA) between Nepal and China on Thursday night, September 7, 2018 after two similar delegations had had similar meetings in China. This is only the joint level agreement. Probably, it has to go higher up to the secretarial level and then the ministerial level before it could be a final agreement for the implementation. However, it is the basic document and it is unlikely to be any disagreement on this document. The future process might be the formalities only.
During his first term, Prime Minister KP Oli signed off the Transit and Transport Agreement with China in March 2016 when he visited China after visiting India aftermath of the infamous sanctions Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed on Nepal for Nepali political leaders not taking his words for postponing the already scheduled announcement of the Constitution of Nepal on September 20, 2015.
This protocol of Nepal-China Transit And Transport Agreement is the follow-up of the agreement detailing which seaports and dry ports China would opened up for Nepal to conduct import-and-export trade through the Chinese territory that China agreed to provide Nepal with. China did it following the international charter.
Once this protocol takes effect in the coming months or years then Nepal would have an alternative to the dependency on India for conducting trades with the third countries.
According to the protocol, Nepal will have an access to the Chinese seaports such as Tianjin, Shenzhen, Lianyungang and Zhanjiang, and three dry ports such as Lanzhou, Lhasa and Xigatse for trade with third countries
Head of Nepalese delegation and Joint-Secretary to Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Rabi Shankar Sainju said that all four Chinese ports are at a distance of between about 4,200 km and 5,000 km from the northern border of Nepal, however, exports through the Chinese ports would be possible in three weeks compared to more than two months Indian Kolkata port takes.
“If both the countries could create reliable infrastructure, including roads, railways and dry-ports at the northern border of Nepal, it would reduce the time and cost of importing goods from China and third countries, which would have a positive impact on the country’s business environment” the news in “The Rising Nepal” quoted Sainju on September 8, 2018.
Sainju explained that Nepali traders would not need to submit original hard copy documents at the Chinese ports, e-copies would do while traders need to submit the original ones in Kolkata,.
“If needed, Nepal would also be allowed to use inland waterways in China. Therefore the agreement will give immense benefit to us in the long run,” Sainju said, the news in “The Rising Nepal” stated.
