NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — Nepal will also send a high-level delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara to China to attend the One Belt, One Road Conference which will be held on May 14 and 15 in Beijing.
The Nepalese government has proposed Kerung-Kathmandu-Pokhara-Lumbini railway to be part of the OBOR project.
"The government of Nepal is of the view that the OBOR is a very good initiative that will help the region to boost economic and technical cooperation. As the connectivity and trade were Nepal's priority, it could benefit a lot from this initiative," Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahar said.
The OBOR project is an ambitious connectivity project of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The connectivity project envisages connecting more than 65 countries and some 40 countries have already signed the MoU with China.
"Nepal has decided to sign the One Belt One Road project as they think that it will spur economic development in the country. Nepal is presently in a tight economic situation and badly needs economic support. But from the Indian point of view, Nepal joining the One Belt One Road project will definitely be a setback. India is vehemently opposing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which is a part of OBOR. India thinks that through OBOR, China will considerably increase its sphere of influence in neighboring Nepal, which will pose problems for India in the long run," Savita Pandey, Professor of South Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, told Sputnik.
