The issue of operating Pokhara and Bhairahawa airports has been raised in the 'Nepal-China Business Summit' held for the second time in China under the initiative of the Federation of Nepalese Industries and Commerce.

The president of the federation, Chandra Prasad Dhakal, has drawn the attention of government and private sector officials of both countries to fly directly from Nepal to the two airports in order to realize the ``connective TV'' plan, which is a priority for both Nepal and China. 

Dhakal says that the direct flights of Chinese airline companies will increase the tourist arrivals and expand the relationship between the people and increase the economic activity and it will directly benefit Nepal.

'I request the government and the private sector of both countries to take active initiatives for direct air flights from China at the two airports,' Dhakal said at the summit jointly organized by the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Nepali Embassy in China. He said, 'Nepal is an attractive destination for Chinese tourists. Direct flights to two international airports will also facilitate Chinese tourists. Therefore, I request the Chinese government to make this matter a priority. At the

summit, Dhakal informed the Chinese private sector officials about the initiatives taken in Nepal to create a business environment during this one year period. At the request of the federation, the government has amended eight laws related to investment. The draft of the bilateral investment agreement has also been prepared, he said. 

said that it was the first time for Nepal to get a Tradit rating and the rating was the best after India in South Asia. This has created an environment for investors to invest confidently. I also promise that the FDI Help Desk in the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry will continue to help investors," he said. Participating in the

program, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli expressed his commitment to improve policy and behavior in Nepal and asked for investment expansion and trade facilitation. He claims that the investment environment in Nepal is improving. Prime Minister Oli urged for investment as many areas in Nepal are still attractive for investment. He said that Nepal and China have traditional relations and economic development is possible due to mutual relations between the two countries. 

Prime Minister Oli claims that cooperation between the government and the private sector of any country has been prioritized and a business environment has been created accordingly. He said that the private sector is the backbone of the economy and the government is always ready to protect domestic and foreign investments.

China is the country that invests the most in Nepal and although it is the second largest country in trade, the trade deficit between the two countries is a matter of concern, he said. He said that since Nepal's agricultural products have a market in China, efforts should be made to facilitate trade.

Addressing the summit held on Wednesday at the headquarters of CCPIT in Beijing, Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Ling Jie said that the relationship between China and Nepal is very old and economic activity is also increasing. He said that Chinese businessmen are increasing investment in Nepal and the investment will continue to expand in the future.

China is Nepal's second largest trading partner and the deputy minister said that transit will be facilitated to increase trade in other countries through China. He said that Nepal will benefit from the duty-free facility provided by China to the products of least developed countries from this December.

This is the second edition of the summit. The Federation and CCPIT organized a similar conference in September 2023. CCPIT Vice President Zhang Saogang said that the federation is an old partner organization and the summit will be important in enhancing bilateral trade.

CCPIT will help increase investment in Nepal and import products from Nepal, he said. He also said that various programs of economic partnership will be conducted in the future in collaboration with the Federation and CCPIT.

Sushil Gyawali, chief executive officer of Investment Board Nepal, said that the board will facilitate the introduction of Chinese investment in Nepal.  Manoj Paudel, Chairman of the Federation's Foreign Investment and International Relations Forum, mentioned the possibilities of hydropower, tourism infrastructure, manufacturing sector and service sector in Nepal.