While the dream of Pokharelis has been coming true after a long wait of five decades, China, however, has made a controversial claim about it.
The Kathmandu-based Chinese Embassy said that the Pokhara International Airport is the flagship project of the China-Nepal BRI cooperation. “The Pokhara International Airport is the flagship project of the China-Nepal BRI cooperation. Congratulations to Nepal and the Nepali people,” the Chinese Embassy wrote in its Twitter account. Nepal, however, has not made any decision on the model to be adopted for the BRI Project. Former ambassador Bijayakanta Karna said that China has made a false claim. He said that China made a false claim by providing a loan at a high interest rate. According to Karna, Pokhara International Airport was built with a $215.96 million loan from the EXIM Bank of China, whose interest rate is the highest ever. “Pokhara International Airport was constructed by taking a loan at a high interest rate from the EXIM Bank of China. The Nepal government has to pay both loan and interest from March,” he said. He claimed that the Pokhara International Airport will not be included in the nine projects selected by the Chinese government. “We have heard that the nine projects of BRI have been selected. But, the Pokhara International Airport is not included even in the nine projects,” the former ambassador said. He said that the Pokhara International Airport was built with an expensive investment. “It was said that the airport will be completed in four years. But, it was inaugurated in seven years. Still, there are some works to be completed. This is an expensive airport in terms of investment as well. The airport was built with more investment than the proposed budget,” Karna said. He said that China is trying to get close with Nepal after the formation of Communist government. Karna was of the opinion that the Chinese side has started the feasibility study of Kerung-Kathmandu to show the proximity. “China is trying to get closer with Nepal after the formation of a new government under the Communist alliance. The feasibility study of Kerung-Kathmandu railway has also been started. But, the railway will not be built,” he said. China has entrusted Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd with the responsibility to carry out a feasibility study of the Kerung-Kathmandu railway. The company has deployed six engineers for the feasibility study of Kerung-Kathmandu railway. During the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Nepal, the Nepal government said that BRI cannot be brought on a loan. The then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka had said that the BRI Project cannot be implemented immediately, saying that there should be a thorough discussion on the modality among other issues of the project. Nepal had signed the BRI Project in 2017. Five years have already passed after signing the agreement, no significant progress has been made on the project. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had asked the Nepal government through then Prime Minister Deuba and Foreign Minister Khadka to clear its position on the BRI Project. In response, Deuba had said that Nepal could not afford the loan at a time when the country’s economy is already in crisis.
