Nepal, Sept. 2 -- Even a decade after signing a transport agreement with China, it has yet to be implemented. Although the agreement was reached during Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's visit to China in March 2016, Nepal has not been able to utilize its benefits. The transport agreement and its protocol remain limited to paper.

Nepal's foreign trade with third countries depends almost entirely on India. As a landlocked country, Nepal has been conducting imports and exports with third countries via India's Kolkata port. Since Nepal has no direct access to the sea without using Indian territory, the agreement with China was intended to provide access to seaports through China for trade with third countries, thereby reducing dependency on Ind...