KATHMANDU, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A reception to mark the 71st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal, combined with the award ceremony for a China-Nepal friendship short video contest, was held in Kathmandu on Thursday.
In his address, Nepal's Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai reviewed the bilateral engagement since the two countries formally established ties in 1955, noting that Nepal and China have consistently advanced their relationship on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
Rai reaffirmed Nepal's firm adherence to the one-China principle, stressing that the country will never allow its territory to be used in any way to harm China's core national interests.
Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Zhang Maoming underscored the long-standing friendship between the two neighbours, which has remained resilient despite changes in the international environment. He noted that since the formation of Nepal's new government in March this year, political mutual trust between Nepal and China has continued to deepen, and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation has continued to advance with solid results.
Zhang also highlighted growing people-to-people exchanges, noting that simple yet heartfelt exchanges between the two peoples have altogether become the true foundation and defining character of Nepal-China friendship nowadays.
Rai and Zhang jointly presented trophies and certificates to the winners of the short video contest, which had drawn numerous submissions, garnering a combined 880,000 online views. ■
