Nov 07, Kathmandu - Rajendra Malla, outgoing president of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce, has urged Chinese businessmen for cooperation in the investment, technology, and tourism sectors.

In a meeting with Fan Xiaobo, President of the Chinese General Association of Industries and Commerce, outgoing President Malla proposed cooperation to make Nepal-China trade relations stronger and result-oriented.

During the meeting, outgoing Chairman Malla said that cooperation should be done in the fields of agriculture, infrastructure development, technology-friendly and tourism to further strengthen trade relations with China. Outgoing Chairman Malla said that both countries can benefit from long-term business partnerships by bringing Chinese investment and technology to Nepal.

He said, "If infrastructure development and highway construction from China to the India border can be done, trilateral trade benefits can be achieved." He emphasized the possibility of Nepal geographically acting as a trade bridge between China and India. Stating that Nepal can attract Chinese tourists through investment in hotel infrastructure, he said, "There are about 100 million Buddhists in China. If only 1 percent of them, about 1 million tourists, can be brought to Nepal, it will make a significant contribution to the economy."

Pointing out the vast potential of Nepal's gold, copper, uranium and other mines, outgoing Chairman Malla said that there is an open opportunity for Chinese investment in their research, processing and export. Stating that Nepal's trade deficit with China is high, he said, "While China imported $2.53 billion worth of goods, Nepal has exported only $15.49 million."

Stating that there is a possibility of re-export through joint investment in the information technology sector, Malla said that the Nepal Chamber of Commerce is committed to ensuring policy clarity and returns.

During the meeting with the chamber officials, President Fan Xiaobo said that they are making efforts to promote exports from Nepal. He pledged to positively advance the development of Nepal's tourism sector, investment in the hotel business and business cooperation initiatives. He said that initiatives will be taken for joint investment in Nepal's agriculture and tourism sectors.