With a thousand years of shared civilization behind us, and 70 years of friendship to build on, tonight we celebrate a special milestone — the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Nepal.On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, I warmly welcome you all, and thank each of you for being here tonight.
Looking back, our friendship has deep roots. Long ago, Chinese eminent monks Faxian of Jin Dynasty and Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty traveled to Lumbini in search of the Dharma. In the Yuan Dynasty, Nepali craftsman Araniko came to China and helped build the White Pagoda in Beijing. Then, on August 1, 1955, our two countries officially established diplomatic ties. Time keeps moving forward, but through all the changes, China and Nepal remain close neighbors — connected by mountains, rivers, and a shared destiny.
Over the past 70 years, China and Nepal have built strong trust through many trials and challenges. From the very start, our leaders laid the foundation with the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Since then, our countries have always mutually respected, trusted, and supported each other — setting an example of friendly cooperation between neighboring countries.
In 2019, President Xi Jinping paid a historic state visit to Nepal. In 2024, Rt. Hon’ble Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli paid an official visit to China. Both leaders reached a series of important consensus on bilateral relations and mutually beneficial cooperation.
The China-Nepal Strategic Partnership of Cooperation Featuring Everlasting Friendship for Development and Prosperity has continued to make new progress. As we celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations, I’m confident our partnership will rise to new heights, and our thousand-year friendship will shine even brighter.
Over the past 70 years, China and Nepal have written a new chapter of cooperation. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, we’ve worked hand in hand—with mountains and rivers as our canvas, and sincerity as our brush —overcoming challenges and supporting each other every step of the way. Since the two countries jointly launched high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, our two countries are now more connected than ever. The Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network brings our people even closer.
We see roads like the Araniko Highway cutting through the snow-covered mountains, with cars and trucks shuttling to and fro on it.
We see bilateral trade growing rapidly, and our cooperation in industry and agriculture in full swing.
We hear the bells of the Chinese Temple in Lumbini, and the voices of students at the Confucius Institute in Kathmandu —echoes of our deep cultural ties.
This “Friendship Road,” built over seven decades, shows that with continued cooperation and exchanges, China and Nepal are sure to share even more development, prosperity, and a closer community with a shared future.
China and Nepal have no geopolitical conflicts or major differences. What we share is a common dream — a better life for our peoples. We are two ancient civilizations, connected by culture and values. We also stand together for fairness and justice in global affairs. As Rt. Hon’ble Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli once said,“There is nothing but friendship between China and Nepal.”Now, as we stand at a new starting point in history, we look forward to an even brighter future together.
We will continue to be close partners in building strategic trust. In a world full of changes and challenges, China is ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with Nepal, deepen our political trust, and firmly support each other’s core interests on the global stage. On crucial issues that shape the future of our world, we stand together — on the side of history and progress. We clearly oppose Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation, jointly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and international norms based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
We will continue to be close partners in shared development. China is ready to help Nepal’s development challenges with Chinese solutions. China’s path to modernization aligns closely with Nepal’s development strategy. We welcome more exchanges in governance and policy-making, and we are ready to connect the high-quality Belt and Road Initiative with Nepal’s “Land-Linked Nation” policy, and the vision of “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepalese.”
Together, we will strengthen cooperation in trade, transport, infrastructure, investment, agriculture, industry, health, disaster response, and poverty reduction. China will continue to support Nepal in choosing a development path that suits its own needs and conditions.
We will continue to be close partners in cultural exchange and mutual learning. China and Nepal share a deep cultural connection and strong people-to-people ties. We are ready to work more closely with Nepal in areas like youth, education, culture, tourism, media, and think tanks, encourage exchanges between sister cities, and make travel between our countries easier.
As a Chinese saying goes,“A near neighbor is better than a distant cousin.”Friendship grows stronger through visits and shared experiences. We warmly welcome more friends from Nepal to visit China and get to know us better.
There is a Nepalese proverb: ，and we have a similar saying in Chinese “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”. Just as China and Nepal worked together to measure the new height of Mountain Qomolangma, we should also work hand in hand to reach new heights in our relationship.
As long as we always respect each other and aim for win-win cooperation, our friendship will last and grow—not just for 70 years, but for many generations to come, bringing lasting benefits to both our peoples.
(Ambassador of China to Nepal Chen Song’s Remark on Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and Nepal today in Kathmandu.)
