Nepal, July 30 -- On December 4, 2024, Nepal and China signed a common framework for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation. The ruling coalition-Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML)-negotiated and introduced the framework as an "Aid Financing Assistance" model. A couple of months have passed, and while the Chinese side appears determined to move forward with concrete project planning, the Nepalese government's response to BRI has been rather tepid.

The BRI in Nepal stands at a crossroads, and questions about its future remain unresolved. Ten different projects have been proposed under the BRI framework: the Tokha-Chhahare tunnel road, Hilsa-Simikot road project, Kimathanka-Khandbari...