New round of China-Nepal customs exchanges held to improve cooperation
China-Nepal customs cooperation is expected to deepen further after the conclusion of a week-long meeting of customs officials from the two countries, which ended Monday in Lhasa, the administrative center of Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China.
A delegation of seven Nepalese customs officials, deputy head of the customs department of Nepal's Ministry of Finance, began their visit to the PRC on July 2. The event was the 33rd such reciprocal visit.
Under the Belt and Road Initiative and a joint statement issued by the two countries, the two sides will promote cooperation in optimizing the business climate at the checkpoints and strengthening food import and export safety supervision, among other areas.
China is an important trading partner of Nepal, noting that it accounts for 17 percent of the country's total foreign trade.
As of 2023, China's foreign trade with Nepal reached 12.69 billion yuan /about $1.78 billion/, up 15.6 percent. It increased by 15.6 percent year-on-year. By breakdown, the trade volume between Xizang and Nepal amounted to 2.77 billion yuan, exceeding one-fifth of the total trade volume between the two nations.