Nepal to China: Open new supply routes

China asks Nepal to solve differences 'without outside influence'

Beijing on Wednesday called upon Kathmandu to resolve differences over the new Constitution “without outside interference”, even as Nepal requested China to open new routes for supply of essential goods with land routes from India on the Nepal-Bihar border remaining blocked by Madhesi protestors.

The blockade of land routes has not only led to shortage of essential supplies, particularly oil, but also medicines.  

“Properly resolve differences through consultations in a peaceful manner with no interference from outside” said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.

Beijing also said it was willing to have friendly consultations with India to work out a consensus to address Nepal’s constitutional crisis.

DEEPENING TIES

• Nepal has requested China to open new land routes for supply of essential goods
   
• IOC has said India continues to supply at least a third of Nepal’s fuel needs through alternative transit routes

The reference to outside interference was directed at India, which has been open about its concerns for the Indian-origin Madhesi people in Nepal, who are not given adequate representation in the new Constitution.

Meanwhile, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) said India continues to supply at least a third of Nepal’s fuel needs through alternative transit routes. IOC chairman B Ashok said India was supplying 32-35 per cent of Nepal’s daily requirement of 6,612 kilolitres of petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene and liquid petroleum gas, or LPG, from land routes in West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

He said trucks were being sent from Baitalpur near Gorakhpur, Gonda and Banthra in Uttar Pradesh as well as Siliguri in West Bengal. “The Nepali trucks will have to reach us. The protests meant their (Nepali) trucks are not able to reach our depots.”

Nepal’s efforts to get fuel from China haven’t been successful because of difficult terrain and snowfall.

On Wednesday, Kathmandu requested Beijing to open more routes to meet the shortfall in its fuel requirement. Ashok said Nepal imported 1.37 billion litres of fuel last year from IOC for $1.05 billion.

IOC had in August also agreed to build a 41-km pipeline that would obliterate the need for truck movement through Raxual.