Foreign Minister Dr. Arju Rana Deuba clarified that there is no mention of borrowing in the BRI agreement concluded between Nepal government and China.

Minister Rana said that the recent agreement between the government of Nepal and China is being criticized in Nepal without understanding. 

Minister Rana said at the Tribhuvan International Airport on Saturday before leaving for the Netherlands to present her opinion on behalf of Nepal in the international hearing on climate change at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), 'We have signed a project based on cooperation under the BRI, there is no question of taking a loan.'

Minister Rana reiterated that comments about the BRI agreement were made without understanding. She also made it clear that projects under the BRI agreement will be carried out with the consent of both countries, so the agreement will be carried out according to the agreement of Nepal. 

She said, 'The matter of taking a loan will be done with the consent and request of the borrower! If we don't take it, if we don't need it, where does the giving party force it? Therefore, it is childish to say that the government signed an agreement to take a loan.'

She informed that Nepal has signed a grant under the BRI agreement with China to build projects under the 'Global Development Initiatives' and not on security or any other issues. 

Minister Rana said that she had also told the Chinese Foreign Minister that Nepal is not in a position to take loans and after the Chinese side agreed on this issue, Nepal built a cooperation framework under the BRI and signed it according to the agreement of both sides. 

She said that under the BRI, Nepal has prioritized issues such as trade with China, air and land connectivity, infrastructure construction and financial assistance.