His Excellency Mr. Song Tao,

Dear Comrades from Communist Party of China present today, Colleagues

Namaste, and Nihao

At the outset let me express my gratitude to H. E Song Tao for sparing your valuable time to this conference between two friendly communist parties. On behalf of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and on my own, please convey my heartfelt greetings to His Excellency Xi Jinping, General Secretary of Communist Party and President of People’s Republic of China.

Time tested and good neighborly relations between Nepal and China are guided by the principles of peaceful coexistence. These relations are nurtured on the basis of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and understanding on each-others core concerns and sensitivities. Mutual trust, friendship and good neighborliness are the hallmark of our relations. We can say with proud that we Nepal and China enjoy trouble free relations between the two neighbors of different size, demography and development stage.

Nepal stands farm and resolute on one China policy and supports Taiwan’s peaceful reunification. Nepal firmly supports China on Hong Kong issue, Tibet and Xinjiang matters. Nepal believes in non-interference in the internal matters by external forces in any pretext. Nepal communist party wishes to work together with Communist Party of China for common development, prosperity, peace and harmony.

Being a part of Belt and Road Initiative, we firmly believe that the BRI can bring in opportunities for common development to the countries like Nepal. We can develop Community of Shared Destiny across the Himalayas by pursuing development path under the theme of Trans- Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network.

May I recall the historic state visit of President Xi Jinping to Nepal in October 2019 that heralded a new era of relationship between Nepal and China. Both the countries have elevated the relations to Strategic Partnership Featuring Ever Lasting Friendship for Development and Prosperity that defines the changing need of time.

I also happily recall my meeting with Excellency Xi that helped calibrate the relationship between the two communist parties as per the aspirations of the people and governments of both the countries with the changing perspectives in the region and beyond. We basically discussed the ways and means of widening and deepening party to party relations in that meeting.

We, particularly have agreed to exchange delegations, conduct joint trainings and work together in bilateral, regional and global issues of our common concerns. As agreed during that visit, I was planning to lead a delegation of central committee members of Nepal communist party to China in December 2019 but that visit had to postpone primarily due to the health condition of prime minister of Nepal. Let me reiterate my commitment of leading a high-level communist party delegation to China at mutually convenient date soon after the travel inconvenience due to COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Nepal, at present, is in the critical phase of outbreak of Coronavirus (COVIC-19) disease. After almost 2 and half months long lockdown the number of people infected by COVID-19 is sharply peaking up basically due to cross-border influx of infected people. The infrastructure related to health and logistic, human resource capabilities and supplies of critical materials in case of massive outbreak are utterly limited.

We have been receiving a big support, material and moral, from the government and people of China. China’s support remained extremely important in the early days of COVID-19 infection in Nepal and such support will be critically important for us in coming days as well.

We fully bank on China in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. China’s support whether during earthquake, or in COVID-19 pandemic or in normal period for socio-economic development remained continued and invaluable. I can say with confident that China and Nepal are friends in weal and woes. In this regard I would like to suggest to build a demonstration site between two Communist Parties for poverty alleviation.

China has been immensely successful in largely containing COVID-19 with comparatively low level of loss. Such an exemplary success is a result of the Communist Party’s resolve for decisive victory against the highly contagious Coronavirus (COVID-19), under the visionary and able leadership of H. E. Xi Jinping.

The unprecedented scale and strength of response mechanism in human history introduced in Wuhan, immediate after the outbreak, has already been proven timely and the most appropriate step taken by China and has set a new norm to the entire world for effective control of viral COVID-19. By holding a meeting of the standing committee of the Communist Party of China on the first day of great Chinese Spring Festival, for the first time in Chinese history, is a glaring example of the urgency and importance attached by President Xi to the fight against COVID-19.

The exemplary demonstration of unity, perseverance, sacrifice, dedication and commitment of Chinese people guided by the communist party of China in this war against invisible enemy of humanity is highly commendable. I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and sympathies to the people in our countries and all over the world for loss of precious life and great suffering caused by the COVID-19.

I also would like to commend the frontline service providers, particularly the medical staff, for great sacrificial service they have been providing by setting example of humility and compassion to serve the people in need. Compassion is an integral part of socio-cultural values inherited from Shakyamuni Buddha and Confucius by both, Nepali and Chinese societies since thousands of years.

Your Excellency,

The world is facing the most severe crisis of COVID-19 pandemic today that has already engulfed the entire world and caused great sufferings to humanity. The virus knows no border, no ethnicity, no race, and no economic, social or political system.

Unfortunately, when millions of people are facing tremendous hardships and tragedies posed by COVID-19, some countries and media remained busy in politicizing the epidemic smearing people of certain race, face, geography, country or ethnicity.

We believe that politicizing the epidemic rather than taking appropriate measures to check the spread of virus would further intensify sufferings of the people from viral pandemic. This time is not for politicizing the virus and the world needs united voice, measures and response against this virus. It is a right time to build a community of common health for mankind.

In this context, I would like to commend the People’s Republic of China for massive scale support extended to entire world, either developing and developed countries; both neighbors and countries far away from China, that includes Nepal, in the fight against COVID-19.

We believe that China’s experience, capability and willingness to support all nations suffering from COVID- 19 is the great solace for entire world including Nepal. China’s continued support will be critical for saving lives of people and controlling further spread of virus throughout the world.

China’s leadership has proven that China today has capability and willingness to take appropriate role in handling global humanitarian crisis. Post COVID-19 economic crisis would be extremely challenging issue for entire world to deal. This challenge can be faced by collaboration, understanding, mutuality, sharing and caring between and among the people of different nation states.

No any single country would be able to handle the colossal socio-economic challenge of post COVID-19 in isolation. Nepal, being a country of primary stage of development and limited resilience to internal and external shocks, would require massive scale support and more helping hands for socio-economic recovery. Nepal pursues nonaligned foreign policy.

Therefore, any development support from friendly countries that honor Nepal’s sovereign independence, and nonaligned policy only will be welcomed. Any kinds of supports attached with security alignment that contradicts with our constitution can’t be accepted by any means. The Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is fully aware of this fact on its conduct of foreign policy.

We also want to resolve any bilateral issues with any friendly countries through dialogue and the dialogue should be based on sovereign equality, mutual respect and understandings. We believe that in a civilized world coercion, intimidation, and self-will should not have any role in resolving conflicts between and among nations.

Excellency,

I am happy to note that cooperation in governmental, provincial and municipal level and exchanges between business communities, cultural cooperation, non-governmental sectors, think tanks, and People to people relations are deepened and widened in the recent years particularly after the signing of BRI. We are committed to develop a community of shared future across the Himalayas by the cooperation under the broader framework of President Xi Jinping’s vision of Belt and Road Initiative.

I would like to reassure you the solidarity of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and Nepali people in resolve of Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping at the core, to the fight against imminent problem of global viral pandemic and the global issues like, economic recovery, global conflict resolution, environmental crisis and poverty in the days to come.

May I sincerely wish that the Chinese people will continue to make great strides towards greater peace, prosperity and development and will achieve the two centenary goals under the leadership of Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping at the core. I also want to convey my heartfelt congratulation for 99th birthday of Communist Party of China and 65th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal.

I thank you again for your contribution in promoting relations between our two communist parties, and looking forward to meeting you soon and continued to working together with you and other commends of CPC. I wish a success of this meeting!

Thank You !

(Speech delivered by Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, Chairman of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and former Prime Minister of Nepal during a web-conference held between Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and Communist Party of China on June 19, 2020)