Address to the Chinese Media Week
Respected Chair,
Chairman of National Assembly Rt. Hon. Ganesh Prasad Timsina,
Standing Deputy Head of Publicity Department of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee comrade Deng Wugui,
Deputy Director-General of Hubei Provincial Radio and Television Bureau Mr. Zhang Jun,
Her Excellency Madam Hou Yanqi,
Ambassador, the People’s Republic of China to Nepal
Friends from China & Nepal!
It’s my pleasure to welcome all of our friends from China to the birthplace of Buddha, who is a common symbol of our age-old linkage between Nepal & China. As the gift from Nepal, Buddhism is enlightening the world, including China, as the greatest message of fraternity, peace, humanity, and harmony.
I am especially delighted to note that this event is taking place following the historical state visit of President Xi Jinping to Nepal. Now, we have upgraded our relationship to a strategic state from comprehensive and have been agreed to open a new chapter of partnership giving momentum to a new height.
For a long time, the high Himalayas were barriers to comfortable connectivity and flow of people to each other’s land. But, now under the visionary leadership of President Xi, we are taking those Himalayas as an opportunity to show the world that how we can strengthen and deepen our friendly ties through connectivity despite geographical difficulties. I’m sure that trans-Himalayan connectivity between Nepal & China will be a Sui-generic example to the world.
I’m confident that our whole effort including the media sector will be constructively concentrated to fulfill a long-awaited dream of trans-Himalayan connectivity.
The speakers delivered their views on the importance of rivers to connect great civilization focusing on civilization linkage between our two countries but being a person of media background I would like to focus on the role of media that could promote bilateral relations between us.
Dialogue between Great Rivers-2019, China (Hubei)-Nepal (Kathmandu) Integrated Media Development and International Cooperation & Exchange Forum is a fine example of the growing importance of media to enhance cooperation and collaboration between our two countries in order to connect both the peoples. I hope that the first-ever media forum will suffice a congenial environment for sharing experiences and exchanging ideas so as to enhance mutual understanding.
The incredibly striding development of media is profoundly influencing human life. Today, a life without communication has been beyond the imagination. Therefore, advanced technology in terms of media development is definitely a great achievement from a human development perspective. It has widened the horizons of people’s connectivity, reduced distances, and linked the heart and mind of the people giving way out to easy life. But, there are some negative impacts that should be removed for tolerance, social harmony, and prosperous human life. Misuse of technology & media is being a serious problem in misinterpretation and delude people encouraging for social evil. I am of the opinion that we should be aware of this gloomy part.
Each and every country is guided by political ideology and such ideology is carried out by political leadership. In China, after the great contribution of Chairman Mao & Great Leader Deng Xioping, now President Xi Jinping is emerging as a bold, visionary, and determined leader to place China at a newer height. So, after coming to the power in 2012 as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, he has introduced many new policies and programs, which are particularly instrumental to shape China’s international image. The Belt & Road Initiative is one of them and Nepal considers it a significant concept and highly beneficial to Nepal.
In the first 5 year plans and the new schemes, all basic policies put forward by President Xi are being intensively implemented & the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, revitalization, and rapid reconstruction is amazingly accomplishing momentum. As we scrutinize the past, China was silent in words but active in work. It is said that the Chinese policy was to ‘hide your strength and bide your time. But in recent days, China has reconsolidated herself and that time really has come to bring the country to light. Among the 14 points of President Xi, ‘building of a community with shared future’ has great significance to the world. President Xi has said, “The dream of the Chinese people is closely connected with the dreams of the people of other countries; the Chinese Dream can be realized only in a peaceful international environment and under a stable international order.”
This great statement is sufficient to understand China’s core value of developing Xi Jingping Thought as well as the Belt & Road Initiative. Being a close, time-tested, seasoned, and frictionless friend, Nepal is exclusively optimistic to take advantage of such a great initiative.
When I heard about Hubei, I recalled the Wuchang Uprising of 1911 as the beginning of the revolution against the Qing Dynasty. Such a historic movement was imperative for modern China. Hubei in central China has been rapidly developing. We, the people of Nepal remember Hubei a great hub of the famous Three Gorges Dam. Nepal needs to learn from such gorgeous projects because of having immense potentiality in hydropower,
Hubei is one of the popular destinations for Nepali students. As per my knowledge, about 6,400 Nepali students are pursuing higher-level education under various Chinese Universities. They are really outstandingly instrumental in order to expand and enhance people-to-people relations.
Nepal is now consolidating its path for development and prosperity with the national commitment of ‘Happy Nepali: Prosperous Nepal’. After successful promulgation of the constitution through Constituent Assembly and holding three tiers elections, that is to say, local, provincial & federal, under the leadership of the Nepal Communist Party. Now, protracting transition and instability in the country have come to an end and development aspirations of the people have been set into the motion on way to development and prosperity. I would like to take this opportunity to invite Chinese investors for their investment and share benefits. Being the media people, you can play a constructive role and convey our message of the peaceful and congenial environment of Nepal for investment. Adopting a welcome policy for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Nepal has guaranteed the security of investment.
Sometimes, even a bit of message gives profuse pleasure to share. After the visit of President Xi, even in a short span of time, Nepal is receiving more Chinese tourists in comparison to last year. According to Nepal Tourism Board, in October, the number of tourists has been increased by 12.4%. I hope many articles and books written after the visit may attract more and more Chinese people to visit the birthplace of Buddha. You, particularly, the media people are significantly important to disseminate our messages to the Chinese population as Nepal is promoting Visit Nepal Year 2020.
Today, we get to hear many important views on promoting our people-to-people relationship. Media is an integral part and plays a vital role in promoting such kind of vibrant relationship among the people.
I’m very much thankful to the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, Hubei Provincial Radio & Television Bureau, CPC Hubei Provincial Committee, Current Media & Research Centre, and all the co-organizers for giving me this wonderful opportunity to share some of my views with dignitaries. I’m sure that Hubei Media Week will be able to accomplish its goal to create a pleasant environment among media entities and people of the region.
At last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Kiran Gautam of Current Publication for being awarded the ‘Special Book Award for Young Scholar’ in Beijing, last August.
Thank you all for paying attention to me!
(Speech delivered by Bishnu Rijal, Central Committee Member & Deputy Chief of Department of Foreign Affairs of Nepal Communist Party at the Dialogue between Great Rivers-2019 China (Hubei)-Nepal (Kathmandu) Integrated Media Development & Exchange Forum held in Kathmandu, Nepal on November 18, 2019)
