On September 2, 2022, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong met with new Nepali Ambassador to China Bishnu Pukar Shrestha. They exchanged views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common interest.

Liu Jinsong extended a warm welcome to Ambassador Shrestha for his assumption of new office in China. He expressed, China and Nepal have enjoyed a long history of bilateral exchanges and Mount Qomolangma bears witness to the history and height of our friendship. As early as in the 4th century AD, Fa Xian, an ancient Chinese monk, visited Lumbini, a Buddhist pilgrimage site in Nepal. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the friendly cooperation between the two countries has kept pace with the times under the personal promotion of successive leaders of the two countries. No matter how the situation at home and abroad changes, China and Nepal have always adhered to mutual respect and equality, firmly adhered to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and firmly supported each other on issues concerning each other's core interests. In March this year, I visited Nepal for the first time as part of a delegation. I felt the beauty, richness and nature of Nepal and the simplicity, kindness and diligence of the Nepali people. I also felt the profound social foundation of China-Nepal relations. Going forward, China is ready to work with Nepal to implement the outcomes of President Xi Jinping's historic visit to Nepal in 2019, and jointly advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, so as to promote the in-depth development of China-Nepal relations.

Ambassador Shrestha said, Nepal and China are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 67 years ago, bilateral relations have witnessed flourishing development and stability and peace along our border. Nepal firmly pursues the one-China policy and supports China's position on core interests related to Taiwan, Xizang and Xinjiang. Nepal admires China's remarkable achievements in development and wishes the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) a complete success. Nepal is willing to work with China to implement the outcomes of President Xi Jinping's historic visit to Nepal and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. Nepal hopes that China will overcome the impact of the pandemic and continue to facilitate customs clearance of Nepali goods at border ports.

Liu Jinsong pointed out that the cross-border railway project between China and Nepal is an important consensus reached by the heads of state and also a project of the century for China-Nepal connectivity. The Chinese pop song "Sky Way" says: "It is really a miraculous sky way, bringing warmth to the remote land... Bringing us to the paradise. The highland barley wine and butter tea will be sweeter and happy songs are heard everywhere". It expresses the people's best expectation of railway construction. Just nine months after its opening, the China-Laos Railway has already brought huge profits to China-Laos exchanges and cooperation as well as the economic and social development of the Laos. At present, both passenger transportation and freight transportation are so much thriving that it can be hard to get a ticket. If the China-Nepal cross-border railway can be completed as soon as possible, it will surely boost the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Nepal, help the economic growth of Nepal and bring sweetness and happiness to the Nepali people. We need to work together with confidence to make solid progress in the construction of the China-Nepal cross-border railway and the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network, and help Nepal transform from a land-locked country into a land-linked country.

Shrestha said, the construction of the China-Nepal cross-border railway has been the dream of generations of Nepali people and will be a "Sky Way" that truly benefits the Nepali people. He thanked the Chinese side for announcing the use of the aid funds to support the feasibility study for the cross-border railway between China and Nepal and for sending experts to Nepal to carry out the survey within this year. Recently, many Nepali people have asked me and the embassy for the latest progress on railway construction, which can be said to be eagerly awaited.

Liu Jinsong said, some Western countries have spread rumors about Xinjiang-related issues, politicized and weaponized human rights issues, grossly interfered in China's internal affairs and provoked bloc confrontation. For a long time, Western countries have ignored their own serious problems in the field of human rights, and have been constantly lecturing, challenging and putting pressure on developing countries, and even pushing for the so-called "democratic transformation". As a result, they have caused unrest, conflicts and humanitarian disasters, and become the biggest disaster maker of human rights violations around the world. We oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries in the name of democracy and human rights and oppose double standards on human rights issues. The rights to subsistence and development are the most basic human rights. Through the unremitting efforts of the CPC and the people of the whole country, China has eliminated absolute poverty. Nepal has also made significant achievements in poverty reduction and is on track to graduate from the UN's Least Developed Countries list soon. China and Nepal should firmly safeguard the common interests of developing countries on the human rights issue, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning on human rights, unequivocally promote a correct outlook on human rights in the international arena, and resist attempts to interfere in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.

Shrestha said, before entering politics, I had been engaged in education and human rights undertakings at the community level in Nepal for a long time. Over the past 30 years, I am fully aware of the broad scope of human rights, covering economic, social, political and other aspects. I highly recognize the importance of the rights to subsistence and development to the human rights cause in developing countries. There is no one-size-fits-all human rights standard or path in the world. Respecting and protecting human rights must be in line with each country's national conditions. Nepal opposes the use of human rights issues to interfere in other countries' internal affairs, and stands ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China and other developing countries in the field of human rights, truly serve the needs of our own people and the expectations of the international community, and promote the sound development of human rights at home and abroad.