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Nepal firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and will never allow any forces to use its territory for anti-China separatist activities, the Nepali side said during a virtual meeting with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao at the 14th round of China-Nepal diplomatic consultation held on Wednesday, Global Times reported.

China and Nepal are good neighbors and friends that help, respect and trust each other. In 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari visited each other and upgraded bilateral relations to a strategic partnership for mutual development and prosperity. 

As close neighbors and dear friends, China and Nepal should promote their traditional friendship and stand firm in supporting each other, Wu said. He said that the two sides should deepen cooperation on epidemic prevention, build the Belt & Road Initiative with high quality, and maintain close communication in various fields. 

For his part, Foreign Secretary of Nepal Bharat Raj Paudyal said that Nepal attaches great importance to its ties with China, and expressed satisfaction and confidence for bilateral development. 

Nepal firmly adheres to the one-China principle, Paudyal noted, and will never allow any forces to use its territory for anti-China separatist activities. Nepal will actively participate in the Belt & Road Initiative, strengthen communications on multiple levels and coordinate with China on regional and international affairs, according to Global Times.

The two sides also exchanged ideas on the cooperation and plans in the fields of future trade and investment, interconnection, law enforcement and security and humanistic exchanges.

In March, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid a visit to Kathmandu, the highest-level visit by a Chinese delegation since Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba assumed office in July 2021. The visit also came after Nepal's ratification of a $500 million grant from the US through the MCC agreement.  

During his visit, Wang said China believes the affairs of Nepal should be decided by its people, and China opposes any attempt to undermine Nepal's sovereignty and independence, interfere in its internal affairs and engage in geopolitical games in the country.

In February, BBC reported that "a Nepalese government report leaked to the BBC accuses China of encroaching into Nepal along the two countries' shared border" in the district of Humla, in the far west of Nepal, Global Times reported.

However, the Global Times found that the claims had been raised since 2020, and have been repeatedly refuted by the Nepali Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Observers said the BBC's report raised suspicions that its motives match "Tibetan independence" secession forces, and was part of a smear campaign against China amid applause for the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, Global Times reported.

The Supreme Court has directed the government not to construct an international airport in Nijgadh of Bara.

A five-member bench of Justices Hari Krishna Karki, Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha, Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada, Prakash Man Singh Raut and Manoj Kumar Sharma on Thursday scrapped the decision of the government to construct an international airport in Nijgadh.

The apex court also directed the government to find an alternative of Nijgadh.

Earlier, senior advocate Prakash Mani Sharma and Ranjuhajur Pandey among others filed a writ petition at the Supreme seeking annulment of the government decision to construct the airport by cutting down trees and using concrete at the proposed construction site of an international airport in Nijgadh.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 8. 03 points to close at 2,239.60 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index plunged by 1.39 points to close at 436. 47 points.

Meanwhile, a total of 2,324,665 unit shares of 222 companies were traded for Rs 8. 89 billion.

In today’s market, all sub-indices saw green except from Hotel and Tourism, Development Bank, Hydropower, Finance and Others.

Meanwhile, Mega Bank Nepal Limited was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Gurans Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top loser as its price fell by 5. 47 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalisation stood at Rs 3. 18 trillion.

The main opposition CPN-UML has objected to US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, who is also the special coordinator for Tibetan issues Uzra Zeya’s visit to the Tibetan refugee camp in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur.

Taking part in the discussion over the policy and programs of the government in the Federal Parliament on Thursday, the main opposition party leader and party Chairman KP Sharma Oli expressed his dissatisfaction for allowing the US Under Secretary of State to visit the Tibetan refugee camp.

She visited the Tibetan refugee camp in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur on May 21. Later that day she also went to Kathmandu’s Boudha, home to a large number of Tibetan refugees.

US Under Secretary of State Zeya was taken to the refugee camp with police escorting by security forces.

“This government does not care about the national interest. This government has violated Nepal's established norms by letting US official to visit Tibetan refugee camp in Nepal. This government has become weak,” he said.

Also Read: US engagement with Nepal’s Tibetan refugees infuriating China

“Who allowed the US official to visit the Tibetan refugee camp? Is this the neutrality and national independent foreign policy envisioned by the constitution?” he questioned.

He said that the government is not committed to the One-China policy.

“The government gets a fever when a foreigner comes to Nepal. How can sovereignty be protected?” he questioned.

Some political leaders, ex-diplomats, and bureaucrats criticized the government for allowing her to see Tibetan refugees, saying that it violated Nepal’s One-China policy.

Query

Sometimes I get sudden anxious fits, and lately this has been getting worse. When I remember that I have work to do and have no time to waste, I panic and remain frozen for hours. What should I do? -P.R. 

Answered by Dr Rishav Koirala, Psychiatrist and Researcher

From what you have mentioned in your question, it sounds like you are having episodes of anxiety that escalate into panic attacks, which explains you not being able to move from one place for hours. But this alone does not give the entire picture of the problem. It is necessary to consider various factors that can contribute to these episodes. 

It is essential to ask, “What other symptoms do you have?”, “When do you get these episodes?”, “How often does this occur?”, “What are the triggering factors?”, “What is your coping mechanism?” etc. 

Figuring all of this out will require an evaluation of your mental state and of other factors that might have contributed to these issues. 

We can give you a proper diagnosis only after we figure out answers to these questions through a rigorous evaluation. It is always important to find out the root cause. 

Once we have the diagnosis, we can proceed towards possible solutions, be it in the form of medication or psychological therapy. In the end, I would like to assure you that there is a solution for whatever you are going through right now.

For the time being, I suggest that you avoid caffeine and alcohol, and maintain a strict sleep cycle as well as a healthy lifestyle. Taking these steps may help you to an extent.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has claimed that his party can join the government anytime soon as it is a strong opposition.

Discussing the policy and programs recently unveiled by the government at the Federal Parliament on Thursday, the former Prime Minister said that the opposition party will always be in the government in waiting.

“UML is not just the government in waiting in principle, UML is the government in waiting in the real sense,” he said.

Chairman Oli made it clear that the UML was not a party that came to power after the multi-party system but a party that came from the struggle.

He accused the ruling coalition of misusing state mechanisms in the local level elections to defeat the UML.

Leader Oli said that the government’s foreign policy has become weak.

The party Chairman claimed that the policy and programs came as a manifesto of instability.

He claimed that this document was prepared by external forces to push the country towards crisis.

On May 23, American President Joe Biden launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), with 13 majors of this region on board. Together, these countries represent 40% of world GDP.

 The countries joining IPEF are Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The 13 countries have invited participation from additional Indo-Pacific partners that share common goals, interests, and ambitions for the region. So, more countries are likely to join this initiative in the coming days.

In the past few years, America’s investment in this region is continuously increasing. U.S. foreign direct investment in the region totaled more than $969 billion in 2020 and has nearly doubled in the last decade.  A connected, resilient, clean, and fair economy is the key pillar of America’s new initiative. This is a new effort to engage in this region economically after the U.S withdrew from Trans-Pacific Partnership known as TPP.

The aim of the new framework is to contain China’s growing economic influence in the Indo-Pacific Region.  Soon after the inaugural, American Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said that it marks an important turning point in restoring U.S. economic leadership in the region and presenting Indo-Pacific countries with alternatives to China’s approach to these critical issues.

India whose relationship with China remains strained after 2020 has fully backed the Biden’s initiative.  Speaking at the inaugural session, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is a declaration of our collective will to make the region an engine of global economic growth. He said there should be three main pillars of resilient supply chains: trust, transparency, and timeliness. Like another regional trade pact, the new one, however, does not provide any details.

China has strongly opposed IPEF saying that it is designed to advance US geopolitical strategy. In the name of cooperation, the framework seeks to exclude certain countries, establish US-led trade rules, restructure the system of industrial chains, and decouple regional countries with the Chinese economy, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on May 25. He further said: “The fact is, many countries in the region are worried about the huge cost of “decoupling” with China. People will see clearly that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is a design to disrupt regional cooperation and a tool to coerce regional countries.”

The new framework seeks to build high-standard, inclusive, free, and fair trade commitments. Further, it aims to develop new and creative approaches in trade and technology policy that advance a broad set of objectives that fuel economic activity and investment, promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and benefit workers and consumers.

The framework has committed to promoting fair competition by enacting and enforcing effective and robust tax, anti-money laundering, and anti-bribery regimes in line with existing multilateral obligations, standards, and agreements to curb tax evasion and corruption in the Indo-Pacific region. This involves sharing expertise and seeking ways to support capacity building necessary to advance an accountable and transparent system. The framework also plans to advance regional economic connectivity and integration through consultations among partners.

Four persons died and 39 others were injured when a bus they were traveling in met with an accident at Sisne in Aathbis Municipality-2 of Dailekh on Wednesday.

The deceased have been identified as Prem Sunar (32) and Kashiram Pandey (36) of Dullu Municipality-9, Dailekh, Gyan Bahadur Bam (35) and Dhankala Shahi (55) of Pantala Rural Municipality-3, Kalikot.

DSP Bhuwaneshwor Sah of the District Police Office, Dailekh said that the ill-fated bus (Ma 1 Kha 660) was heading towards Surkhet from Kalikot when the incident occurred last night.

The injured are undergoing treatment at the Karnali Pradesh Hospital in Surkhet.

There were 62 persons on board the bus when  the tragedy occurred.

Police said that the bus fell some 40 meters down the road into the Karnali River.

Further investigation into the incident is underway.