Zeng Xuyong: Witnessing 60 years of China Nepal Friendship

Published: 2015-09-09

August 1, 2015, marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal. Linked by mountains and rivers, China and Nepal live next to each other and have formed a profound friendship for a long time. Over the past 60 years, no matter how the international situation and the domestic situation of the two countries change, Nepal-China friendly relations have developed steadily, and mutually beneficial cooperation has continued to expand, yielding fruitful results. The smooth development of Nepal-China relations is due to the fact that both sides have always followed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. I started to come into contact with Nepali in 1960. Since then, I have forged an indissoluble bond with Nepal. I have personally experienced and witnessed the 60-year history of China-Nepal friendship.

Mao Zedong decides on resolving the Nepal-China border issue

In 1956, Premier Zhou Enlai paid an official goodwill visit to Nepal, which was the first visit by a Chinese leader since the founding of New China. In order to strengthen the economic cooperation between the two countries, the two sides signed the "China-Nepal Economic Aid Agreement". Under the direct leadership of Zhou Enlai, the Chinese delegation signed the “Agreement on Maintaining Friendly Relations between China and Nepal and on Commerce and Transportation between China's Tibet Region and Nepal” through friendly consultations with the Nepali side, confirming that the two sides should develop friendly relations on the basis of equality regarding issues related to trade with Tibet and Nepal, and pilgrimages. In March 1960, Nepali Prime Minister B.P. Koirala visited China with the invitation of Zhou Enlai, and the two sides signed an agreement on the border issue and a new economic aid agreement. At the request of Nepal, China agreed to provide 100 million Indian rupees of free assistance without any political conditions within three years. In April, Zhou Enlai visited Nepal again and signed the China-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty with the Prime Minister of Nepal.

According to the agreement between China and Nepal on the border issue, the two sides have established a joint border committee, which is responsible for negotiating and resolving various specific issues on the Nepal-China border, including surveying, delimiting the border, erecting border stakes, and drafting a China-Nepal border treaty. Zhang Shijie, the Chinese chief representative of the China-Nepal Boundary Joint Commission, was my country's first ambassador to Nepal. When I was working in the embassy in Nepal in 1965, he told us that during the border negotiations between China and Nepal, there were some differences and disputes over the direction of the eastern and western sections of the border, but the two sides adhered to the principles of equality, mutual benefit, friendship and mutual accommodation, and thus agreed to make adjustments, and reached an agreement through friendly consultations.

The biggest dispute between the two sides on the border issue is the issue of the ownership of Mount Qomolangma (called Sagarmatha/Mount Everest by the Nepali side). Mount Qomolangma is the highest peak in the world, and both Nepali and Chinese people have deep sentiments for it. Historically, the China-Nepal Boundary Joint Committee failed to reach an agreement after many consultations, and the ownership of Mount Qomolangma became the biggest obstacle in solving the Nepal-China border issue. At that time, both the Nepali and international public media were very concerned about this issue. Zhou Enlai said to Prime Minister Koirala: "Mount Qomolangma (Everest), has a basis in our territory, and it is groundless to say that this peak belongs to Nepal. However, since this peak is famous all over the world, it doesn't just involve the national sentiments of China, and hence, we must also take account of the national sentiments of Nepal.” When meeting Prime Minister Koirala, Chairman Mao stated that if the mountain is “all for you, then we cannot accept it on an emotional level. If you give it all to us, then that means you can’t accept it on an emotional level”, so it needs to be“half-and-half”. Chairman Mao also suggested that Mount Everest could be renamed to "China-Nepal Friendship Peak". 

Taking into account the national sentiments of the Chinese and Nepali people as well as the friendly relationship between China and Nepal, Chairman Mao personally decided that the borderline would pass through the summit of Qomolangma, and both Nepal and China would share Mount Qomolangma. The proposal was positively responded by Nepali leaders.

On October 5, 1961, King Mahendra of Nepal visited China and officially signed the Nepal China border treaty with President Liu Shaoqi in Beijing. The treaty defines all the boundary lines between China and Nepal from west to East. In accordance with the five principles of peaceful coexistence, and in the spirit of fairness, reasonableness, mutual understanding and mutual accommodation, the two sides successfully and comprehensively resolved the border issue between the two countries through friendly consultations. Both sides were satisfied with this.

The formal demarcation of the border between the two countries is a milestone in the further development of friendly relations between China and Nepal. Since then, the China Nepal border has become a peaceful and friendly border and has linked the two countries closely.

An important conversation between Mao Zedong and Nepali guests

In 1960, in accordance with Zhou Enlai's instructions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatched a group of recent high school graduates to study Nepali in Tibet. I was one of them and became the first batch of students in the Republic to study Nepali. In November 1963, during my studies, I was seconded to Beijing to receive a delegation from the National Council of Nepal (Rashtriya Panchayat), led by Bishwa Bandhu Thapa (比什瓦·班杜·塔帕). Nepal's National Council is equivalent to my country's National People's Congress, so Chairman Zhu De came forward to invite, greet and formally entertain. The reception delegation was mainly in English, but some members did not understand English, so I translated the content into Nepali. During their visit to Beijing, the delegation visited the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and other important historical sites. The foreign guests were wide-eyed and amazed. They say that China is truly an ancient country of oriental civilization. The expansive Tiananmen Square and Chang'an Street, as well as the magnificent Great Hall of the People and other buildings, show the grandeur of China and the modern style of the capital, Beijing.

As this is the first parliamentary delegation from Nepal to visit China, the central leadership attaches great importance to it. In Beijing, in addition to Chairman Zhu De's meeting and banquet, Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai met with all members of the delegation at the Great Hall of the people. During the meeting, Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai elaborated on China's principles and policies of good neighborliness and friendship, the proposition that all countries, large and small, are equal, and supported Nepal in maintaining its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. They appreciated Nepal's pursuit of a peaceful and neutral independent foreign policy and its support for China's restoration of its legitimate seat in the United Nations. Speaker Thapa introduced Nepal's non-partisan council system and thanked China for its support and economic assistance to Nepal. After the delegation ended its visit in Beijing, it first flew to Shenyang to visit Angang, and then to Nanjing, Shanghai and other places.

Mao Zedong met the delegation in Shanghai. As an interpreter and the delegation, I was led into a small conference room. In the middle of the conference room was a long table covered with white cloth, with a dozen back chairs on either side. The staff arranges for foreign guests and translators to be seated. After a while, Mao Zedong came in, and the delegation and staff all stood up and applauded. After shaking hands with the guests, Mao Zedong walked to the reserved seats in the middle of the long table. On his right was Speaker Thapa, and on the other side is the English translator and Vice Chairman Guo Moruo (who was responsible for accompanying the delegation throughout the process). The members of the delegation are all sitting on the chairs on either side of the long table. I sat across from Mao Zedong in the seats of parliamentarians who could not understand English and helped translate to Nepali.

After being seated, Mao Zedong invited the guests to speak first. Speaker Thapa conveyed King Mahendra's greetings to Mao Zedong, saying that he himself and the Nepali people revered Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong was not only a great leader of the Chinese revolution, but also a great philosopher and poet. Hearing this, Mao Zedong pointed to Guo Moruo who was sitting next to him and said, "I am not a great poet, our great poet is him." Guo Moruo waved his hand and said, "In the end, Chairman Mao's poems are better." Speaking of Nepal being a poor country, when thanking Mao Zedong and the Chinese government for their generous assistance to Nepal, Mao Zedong said that our assistance is very limited, since China is not yet rich. Only when it develops in the future can it provide more help. Mao Zedong said that Nepal’s king is a good king, and is friendly with China, and that the border issue and the Mount Qomolangma issue has been resolved smoothly. When talking about foreign relations, Mao Zedong said to the Nepali guests that Nepal should also do well with their southern neighbors. These meaningful words show that Mao Zedong was very sympathetic and understood Nepal's position as a small landlocked country between China and India, and how it is subject to India's difficult situation in terms of economy and foreign trade, and highlights Mao Zedong's broad-mindedness. Nepali guests were very touched. After the meeting, many Nepali guests expressed that they were very moved by Mao Zedong's understanding of Nepal's situation as a leader of a major country.

During the meeting, another important thing discussed was the construction of the China-Nepal highway. In 1963, the Nepali and Chinese governments signed an agreement on the construction of the China-Nepal highway, and the Chinese government provided free economic and technical assistance to Nepal. However, since the more than 20 kilometers of roads in Nepal close to the Nepal-China border are full of mountains and hills, even if the Chinese side provided economic assistance, the Nepali side could not build it. Speaker Thapa talked about the difficulties faced by the Nepali side, and Mao Zedong immediately said that he could send engineering troops to repair it. That is why, three months later, China sent a "road construction team" to Nepal to build the China-Nepal Highway, and I was seconded to do translation work again. When talking about the China-Nepal highway, Mao Zedong also said that we will also build the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which will make it easier for China and Nepal to travel between the two countries. This was the first time Mao Zedong put forward the idea of building the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which is a strategic idea that concerns not only the development and stability of Tibet, but also the strengthening of China Nepal relations. The good news is that Mao Zedong's vision has finally become a reality after 40 years.

Mao Zedong meets King Birendra

In December 1973, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya paid an official goodwill visit to China, and I participated in the reception work in Beijing.

King Birendra visited China for the first time in August 1966, and Mao Zedong met him in Wuhan, when he was the crown prince of Nepal. In January 1972, after King Mahendra died of illness, he succeeded to the throne at the age of 26.

This visit in 1973 was Birendra's first visit to China as a king, and the Chinese side gave him a warm and friendly reception. Mao Zedong met the king and queen cordially in Zhongnanhai, and Zhou Enlai met and entertained the king and his party. In addition to this, special theatrical performances and tours of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City were arranged for the king and his party. Mao Zedong met with King Birendra on December 9. That afternoon, King Birendra and Zhou Enlai held talks in the Great Hall of the People. The queen did not attend the meeting, so she arranged to go shopping at the Beijing Friendship Store. The queen wanted to buy some Chinese silk and handicrafts. When she was selecting, she suddenly received the notice of Mao Zedong's meeting and hurried to Zhongnanhai immediately. As a rule, Mao Zedong met with foreign heads of state, including President Nixon of the United States and Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, who met that year, but did not meet their wives. Queen Aishwarya was the first wife of the head of state Mao Zedong met over the years.

The Queen's participation in the meeting was a very special arrangement, and it was arranged on an ad hoc basis at the request of Mao Zedong himself. Here's another story. That afternoon, Mao Zedong sent someone to inform the king that he wanted to see the king. The talks between the king and Premier Zhou Enlai were interrupted, and he immediately went to Zhongnanhai. Mao Zedong met King Birendra accompanied by Premier Zhou Enlai at the swimming pool residence, shook hands with him, looked around and asked, "Where's the queen?" The staff quickly said that there was no arrangement for the queen to attend the meeting. Mao Zedong was very unhappy, saying that he would go and invite the queen right away, and he told the photojournalist and cinematographer not to take any pictures until the queen came. The concierge department rushed to the Friendship Store and asked the queen to see Mao Zedong immediately. But the queen said that she had to go back to the hotel to change into formal clothes, so the police car drove the motorcade to return to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse from east to west, and then from west to east to the meeting place of Mao Zedong in Zhongnanhai.

The Queen's participation in the meeting was a very special arrangement, and it was arranged on an ad hoc basis at the request of Mao Zedong himself. Here's another story. That afternoon, Mao Zedong sent someone to inform the king that he wanted to see the king. The talks between the king and Premier Zhou Enlai were interrupted, and he immediately went to Zhongnanhai. Mao Zedong met King Birendra accompanied by Premier Zhou Enlai at the swimming pool residence, shook hands with him, looked around and asked, "Where's the queen?" The staff quickly said that there was no arrangement for the queen to attend the meeting. Mao Zedong was very unhappy, saying that he would go and invite the queen right away, and he told the photojournalist and cinematographer not to take any pictures until the queen came. The concierge department rushed to the Friendship Store and asked the queen to see Mao Zedong immediately. But the queen said that she had to go back to the hotel to change into formal clothes, so thepolice car drove the motorcade to return to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse from east to west, and then from west to east to the meeting place of Mao Zedong in Zhongnanhai.

During the meeting, Birendra proposed to strengthen the trade relationship between the two countries. Mao Zedong said that China should build the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to Lhasa and connect it with Nepal. Premier Zhou interjected, saying that Tibet is the only area in the country without a railway. To fundamentally change the face of Tibet and improve people's lives, he added that railways must be built. Mao Zedong also expressed to the king that he would not export revolution and advised the king not to be afraid of the Communist Party. King Birendra said his fear of the Communist Party was greatly reduced after meeting Mao. The next day, the People's Daily reported that the title of the meeting was "Mao Zedong meets Queen Aishwarya, King Birendra." The report said: "The meeting was held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere from beginning to end. Mao Zedong greeted Nepal with a smile on his face. The distinguished guests shook hands with them for a long time. Mao Zedong had a conversation with the distinguished guests for one hour and forty minutes." The report also distributed two photos of Mao Zedong shaking hands with the king and the guests and the host sitting on the sofa talking.

Deng Xiaoping's Historic Visit to Nepal

During my diplomatic career, I had the privilege of serving as a translator for Comrade Deng Xiaoping twice. The first time was in June 1973, when I received Princess Shova of Nepal (King Birendra’s sister) and his wife to visit China. I attended the reception as a Nepali interpreter and accompanied them throughout the whole process. The Chinese side attached great importance to this visit. Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping came forward to meet at the Great Hall of the People, and the two sides had friendly talks.

In February 1978, Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping paid an official goodwill visit to Nepal. This visit is the first visit by a major Chinese leader to Nepal since Premier Zhou Enlai's visit to Nepal in 1960. It is a milestone in the history of China-Nepal friendly relations, and fully reflects China's consistent policy of focusing on good-neighborliness diplomacy.

On February 3, Deng Xiaoping flew over the Himalayas by special plane and arrived in Kathmandu. It was a sunny day in Kathmandu, and Tribhuvan Airport was decorated like a festival, with many colorful flags fluttering in the wind. Along the road from the airport to the city center and the main streets of the city, the national flags of Nepal and China and the banner of "Long Live Nepal-China Friendship" written in Nepali and Chinese characters were hung. After Deng Xiaoping's special plane landed, Nepali Prime Minister Bista shook hands with Deng Xiaoping, who stepped off the plane's gangway, and said, "A warm and friendly welcome." Bista accompanied Deng Xiaoping through the long red carpet. Five Nepali girls in purple-red clothes presented a wreath of flowers to Deng Xiaoping and hung it around his neck.

In the afternoon, Deng Xiaoping called on King Birendra and Prime Minister Bista, and held sincere and friendly talks with them. In the evening, Prime Minister Bista was ordered by the king to hold a state banquet at the government building to welcome Deng Xiaoping. King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya attended. Before the banquet, the king and the Prime Minister had a cordial and friendly conversation with Deng Xiaoping. The banquet hall was brightly lit, and red candles were placed on the guest seat, with a band playing Nepali music. The two sides delivered warm speeches at the banquet. In his speech, Bista reviewed the friendly history since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and pointed out that Nepal and China have always adhered to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, thus becoming a model for relations between big and small countries with different political views. In his speech, Deng Xiaoping praised Nepal for pursuing a policy of peace, neutrality and non-alignment, and unremittingly safeguarding national sovereignty. He warmly praised the friendship between China and Nepal, saying: "The Chinese and Nepali people have always been good friends and good neighbors. Our two countries support each other, help each other, treat each other as equals, and meet each other with sincerity. They are friends that can stand the test of time."

In order to eliminate the negative impact of the "Cultural Revolution", Deng Xiaoping said very frankly to the Nepali leaders: ‘My visit to your country is of the nature of repaying debts… If any problems occurred during the Cultural Revolution, they were caused by our side, by the interference of Lin Biao and the Gang of Four. The responsibility was not on the Nepali side, and Nepal had nothing to do with it.' Deng Xiaoping's heartfelt remarks deeply moved the Nepali side.

Speaker of the Parliament, Dhungana delivered a speech of welcome and extended a sincere and warm welcome to Deng on behalf of the people of Kathmandu.

Then, when Deng Xiaoping delivered a speech, I was the interpreter. I followed him to the microphone on the left front of the rostrum, and he read a paragraph and I translated a paragraph. In his speech, Deng Xiaoping praised Nepal's magnificent scenery and praised Nepal as a country with a long history and splendid culture. He highly praised Nepal for pursuing an independent and non-aligned policy and playing an active role in international affairs. He introduced China's domestic situation and foreign policy, and said: "China will never seek hegemony, nor will it be a superpower." He praised China and Nepal as friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, living in harmony from generation to generation, and the China-Nepal Friendship Road has renewed Bringing the two peoples closer together. He said that the Chinese government and people cherish the friendship with Nepal very much and will continue to make unremitting efforts to strengthen the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries. He concluded with his heartfelt wishes: "The friendship between the peoples of China and Nepal stands as majestic as the Himalayas and will last forever!" Deng Xiaoping's speech won warm applause from the audience for many times.

On February 5, Deng Xiaoping visited Patan and Bhaktapur, and was warmly welcomed by the locals.

On the evening of February 5, Deng Xiaoping held a farewell banquet at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal. Prime Minister Bista, his wife, several ministers and other senior officials and friendly people from all walks of life attended. In his toast, he said that the King had "more than one extremely cordial meeting and hospitality" during this visit, and that he deeply felt the warm friendship of the Nepali people towards the Chinese people. Prime Minister Bista's talks yielded satisfactory results. The political mutual support, economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries will be strengthened day by day. Bista said in his toast that Deng Xiaoping's visit is an important milestone in Nepal-China relations and a testimony to the friendship between the two sides. The visit deepened mutual understanding and greatly strengthened the relationship between the two countries. The whole banquet was filled with a cordial and friendly atmosphere.

On February 6, Deng Xiaoping successfully concluded his visit to Nepal and left Kathmandu by special plane to return to China.

Chinese President Li Xiannian visits Nepal for the first time

From March 19 to 23, 1984, Chinese President Li Xiannian paid an official goodwill visit to Nepal. This was Li Xiannian's first visit to Nepal since he assumed the presidency, and it was also the first visit of a Chinese president to Nepal since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and China.

At that time, I was in charge of Nepali affairs at the Sixth Division of the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One month before the visit, we started to prepare a series of materials, including the meeting plan, the key points for the meeting, and Li Xiannian's speech at the Nepali welcome banquet and citizens' welcome meeting.

On March 19, Li Xiannian arrived in Kathmandu by special plane and received a grand welcome with a cordial and friendly reception from the King, the government, as well as the people of Nepal. Banners welcoming Chinese VIPs in Nepal hung along the main roads in Kathmandu. King Birendra and all senior officials including the Prime Minister and Speaker went to the airport to greet him and held a grand welcome ceremony. Li Xiannian and his wife were arranged to stay in the presidential suite of the palace. The king held formal talks with Li Xiannian and had cordial talks on various occasions. Li Xiannian also met with Prime Minister Bista, Speaker and other senior officials and many friendly people. Li Xiannian comprehensively expounded on the international situation and China's independent foreign policy to the Nepali side, and focused on my country's position and views on major issues such as China-US, China-Soviet and China-India relations of concern to the other side. The views of the Nepali side on many major international issues were the same or similar to those of China. The Nepali side spoke highly of China’s principled stance in international affairs, and praised my country's consistent policy of equality for all countries, big and small, and believed that Nepal-China relations are a model of good-neighborly and friendly relations between large and small countries. Both sides expressed that they would continue to strengthen and develop friendly bilateral cooperation. Li Xiannian also invited King Birendra to visit China again, and the king readily agreed.

On March 21, Li Xiannian attended the Citizen's Welcome Meeting held in Kathmandu City Hall and delivered a warm speech. When Li Xiannian wore the Nepali Dhaka Topi (尼泊尔圆帽) presented by his host and greeted everyone with a namaste sign, more than 700 citizens burst into a warm applause. In his speech, Li Xiannian reiterated his stand against hegemonism and safeguarding world peace. Li Xiannian stated how China is a developing socialist country, and that opposing hegemonism and safeguarding world peace are the general principles of China's independent foreign policy. He also stated that strengthening solidarity and cooperation with Third World countries was the basic starting point of China’s foreign policy. Both China and Nepal are developing countries, and both have the common experience of being invaded and oppressed by imperialism and colonialism. Today, they are both faced with the common task of consolidating independence, building the country, and developing the economy. They need to unite and resolutely stop the aggression of hegemonic powers’ expansion in order to maintain peace and stability in Asia and the world.

On March 22, Li Xiannian visited the Royal Botanical Garden of Nepal and planted an acacia tree in the garden, which symbolizes the flower of friendship between China and Nepal.

Li Xiannian's visit to Nepal was a complete success and achieved the expected purpose of "enhancing understanding, mutual learning, deepening friendship and developing cooperation".

The link to the original article can be found here