国内英语新闻:China, Nepal issue eight-point joint statement on relations, cooperation

Both sides agreed to improve connectivity, particularly the land transportation infrastructure between the two countries, to facilitate bilateral exchanges, cooperation and business ties.

The two sides maintained that the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and Nepal should make full potentials and take their respective advantages to strengthen people-to-people exchanges in the border areas, and to promote trade, tourism, and the flow of goods and services to expand mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Chinese side said that it encourages and supports competent and well-established Chinese companies and enterprises to promote investment and joint ventures in Nepal, and will provide financing assistance, including concessional loans, to mutually agreed projects.

In the rest part of the joint statement from the fifth to the eighth points, China and Nepal agreed to improve the meeting mechanism between law-enforcing authorities of the two countries, and to deepen cooperation on border management and law-enforcement capacity-building, so as to uphold peace and stability of China-Nepal border areas.

The two countries also announced the year 2012 as "the China-Nepal Year of Friendly Exchanges," saying the two sides will continue to promote exchanges and cooperation in the areas of culture and education and between youths, media, think tanks, scholars and friendly groups of the two countries.

The two sides believed that China and Nepal have identical or similar positions on major international issues, such as global financial crisis, energy and food security, among others.

The two sides agreed to maintain close coordination and cooperation in this regard, so as to uphold the common interests of China, Nepal and other developing countries.

After his brief stay in Nepal, the Chinese premier is heading to the Middle East to pay official visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.

He will also attend the Fifth World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.