Kathmandu, May 12 -- Tuesday marks the ninth anniversary of Nepal and China signing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing's flagship connectivity and infrastructure initiative launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The two countries signed the MoU on May 12, 2017, although Nepal's engagement with the ambitious Chinese initiative had begun much earlier, soon after Beijing unveiled the strategy in 2013. The initiative later evolved from the "Silk Road Economic Belt", to "One Belt, One Road" and finally, the BRI.

The overarching goal of the BRI, as mentioned in the MoU, largely focus on policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and promot...