India, Aug. 27 -- Nepal's foreign minister Shisir Khanal refused to pick sides when asked about how he sees the country's ties with China and India. The minister said that both relationships are significant from their own standpoints and he wouldn't want to choose one over the other.

"We do not want to supplement one with the other (relationships with China and India). I would not want to tell my father that I'll replace you with the mother or the mother with the father," Khanal said during an NDTV event in Kathmandu. He said that Nepal runs on an emotional side but views foreign policy more rationally, thus considering both India and China as important neighbours.

When asked about China's increased economic presence in Nepal, Khanal sa...