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The Chinese Foreign Ministry, has said that China maintains sound cooperation with Nepal in the area of meteorology, water conservation, disaster prevention and control.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, made the clarification at a press conference in Beijing, China, following the floods and landslides that took place along the China-Nepal border.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson was responding to Nepali officials’ statement that Nepal once asked China for early warnings and to gain access to shared monitoring data on weather, rainfall and river conditions in their talks with the Chinese side in May in which there was no formal mechanism agreed.
Responding, Guo said: “China and Nepal maintain sound cooperation in areas of meteorology, water conservation and disaster prevention and control. Following the disaster, China and Nepal have been in smooth communication on search and rescue, information sharing and prevention of secondary disaster. We have been providing Nepal with meteorological and hydrological data, conducted consultation among experts, and shared early-warning information.”
Guo further said China will continue giving strong support to Nepal in its relief efforts and strengthen cooperation with Nepal on disaster prevention and control for the shared benefit of both peoples.
Speaking earlier, Guo gave report on the progress of the rescue mission relating to foreign countries.
He said the devastating mudslide, triggered by a sudden glacial collapse in Nepal’s border area, has caused massive casualties and left many unaccounted for in both China and Nepal.
Guo also said that while urgently carrying out rescue and relief efforts at home, China also immediately reached out to Nepal to support its emergency response and disaster relief.
He added that Chinese President Xi Jinping, sent a condolence message to Nepali President Ram Chandra Poudel and Premier Li Qiang also expressed condolences to the Nepali side.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson further said the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee called for emergency assistance to the affected areas in Nepal and international cooperation in rescue and relief.
“On August 29, Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal over the phone. He noted that China and Nepal are a community linked by mountains and rivers and a shared future. In the face of the disaster, the two countries should stand firmly together, join hands to overcome the difficulties, and demonstrate the traditional friendship through concrete actions. The Chinese government has provided Nepal with emergency cash assistance and humanitarian aid. The first batch of 50 tons of relief supplies has already arrived in Kathmandu. Two rescue teams composed of Chinese tunnel rescue experts have rushed to the disaster-stricken areas in Nepal. We have also shared with the Nepali side important information such as images, satellite, and hydrological data of the disaster-affected areas, including early-warning information on an upstream barrier lake. China is actively assisting stranded Nepali citizens in returning to Nepal as soon as possible. As of noon yesterday, all Chinese nationals in Nepal’s disaster-hit areas, with whom contact has been re-established, have been safely relocated.
“At present, China is making every effort to search for and rescue those unaccounted for both within the country and abroad. At the same time, we maintain close communication with foreign embassies in China to jointly identify missing foreign nationals and properly handle follow-up matters,” he stated.
On casualties recorded by the Chinese side, Guo said nearly 100 Chinese nationals are among those missing in Nepal.
He also said the Nepali side has been trying every possible means to search for and rescue those missing or trapped.
“Tunnel experts from China have arrived in the affected area in Nepal to assist in rescue efforts,” Guo disclosed.
