Kathmandu, May 28 – Chinese Ambassador Sun Heping today said that his country is positive and will “appreciate” the idea of joining South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) with an aim of promoting regional economic cooperation. The envoy could not be specific about the issue but he clearly stated, “We appreciate it (joining SAARC) very much.” According to him, China most hopefully, will establish linkage with SAARC and take active part in and promote economic cooperation in South Asia.
Applauding SAARC’s achievements, Heping said that his country expresses appreciation and support for the efforts and achievements SAARC made in strengthening cooperation among South Asian countries. He added that his country hopes that SAARC play an active role in alleviating poverty and promoting common development of South Asian countries and safeguarding peace and stability in South Asia.
Stating that the Tibet issue is China’s major concern in Nepal, Heping appreciated the government’s commitment to the “one China policy”. He also applauded Nepal’s commitment of not allowing any anti-China activities to be carried out on Nepali soil. “Tibetan extremists have never stopped anti-China activities,” he said. “China’s position on the Dalai question is clear-cut. The door of dialogue with Dalai is always open.”
Referring to the incident when Nepal had handed over Tibetans to the Chinese government, Heping said, “Tibetan separatists and pro-Dalai external forces use the question of Tibetan illegal immigrants as a ploy against China. Some external forces granted these illegal immigrants the status of refugees, put pressure on the Nepalese government not to repatriate them to China and criticise China for human rights violations.”
He confirmed, “Tibetan people in China have enjoyed freedom in religious belief and expression and all other rights to exercise democracy. According to Heping, China considers the underground Maoist rebels “anti-government forces” and termed the Bhutanese refugees’ problem as Nepal’s and Bhuatan’s bilateral affair. Asked about China’s position on UN mediation for resolving Maoist insurgency, the envoy said it is for Nepal to decide.
