Nepal should expedite projects under BRI, says Dahal

Nepal should finalise all the projects under China's ambitious BRI since the multi billion project was purely an economic cooperation and not a military alliance, former prime minister and Co-chairman of the ruling Nepal Communist Party Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" said on Sunday.

Speaking at a symposium titled "BRI Dialogue" in Kathmandu, Dahal said Nepal's projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) should not be delayed since it would contribute to the country's socio-economic development.

"BRI is not a military alliance. Rather, it seeks to promote mutual cooperation between various countries that are part of it. We should not delay in finalising the projects under the BRI. I think the time has to come to speed up the projects in accordance with our priority and needs," he said.

The BRI is a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Chinese President Xi in 2013. India has been severely critical of BRI as the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is part of the BRI, passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

India says it cannot accept a project that ignores its core concern on sovereignty and territorial integrity