CPC has demonstrated admirable wisdom, courage in pursuit of national development: Nepalese scholar

“The Communist Party of China (CPC) has demonstrated admirable wisdom and courage in its pursuit of national development,” said Bhaskar Koirala, the Director of Nepal Institute of International and Strategic Studies, during a recent interview with People’s Daily.

Bhaskar Koirala, the Director of Nepal Institute of International and Strategic Studies, visits an ethnic village in southwest China’s Guizhou province in 2017. (Photo provided by Bhaskar Koirala)

He said the CPC, always following a people-centered approach and being courageous to face up to challenges, has explored a development path that suits China’s national conditions.

It offers new ideas for other developing countries on their way to pursue development and is worth learning by the latter, including Nepal, Koirala added.

Koirala made multiple visits to China as a scholar in the recent years and was deeply impressed by the drastic changes taking place in the country.

“Every time I came to China I saw surprising changes. These changes were a result of the huge efforts made by the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC,” he told People’s Daily.

Koirala is a closer follower and studious learner of the development philosophy raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping. He read through the Nepali edition of the second volume of “Xi Jinping: The Governance of China” soon after the book was released, and always leafs through the English version of its third volume.

“The book contains China’s development experience and the CPC’s wisdom,” Koirala said.

Bhaskar Koirala, the Director of Nepal Institute of International and Strategic Studies, visits the scenic spot of Qingcheng Mountain in southwest China’s Sichuan province in 2019. (Photo provided by Bhaskar Koirala)

Having had a close look at Xi’s assertion that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, Koirala found that ecological conservation and economic growth are not contradictory against each other, which has been proved by China’s development.

He said the impacts from ecological conservation and economic growth on social and livelihood progress shall be thoroughly evaluated in different stages of economic development, and attention must be paid to the medium- and long-term influence from environmental issues.

“The bluer skies and cleaner waters are making China more and more charming,” Koirala said, adding that the tremendous changes in China’s ecology are what impress him the most.

During an academic visit to east China’s Zhejiang province, he found that high-pollution enterprises were upgraded with new equipment and techniques, which greatly reduced the emission of pollutants. Besides, a lot of hills in the province turned green again, and some of them were planted with high-value crops, becoming a new growth point for local economy.

“China’s measures in environmental protection are worth learning from and are of important significance for Nepal,” Koirala told People’s Daily.

Employees of an energy company in Longwan district, Wenzhou, east China's Zhejiang province work in a workshop, July 12, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Su Qiaojiang)

Koirala is amazed at China’s poverty reduction achievements. “The Chinese government has made unprecedented achievements by eliminating absolute poverty as scheduled, which is astonishing,” he said.

The Nepalese studied China’s targeted poverty alleviation policies and was impressed by the mechanism of stationing officials in villages to work on poverty relief.

“To understand China’s poverty alleviation achievements, we must recognize the painstaking efforts made by young CPC members," he said, adding that these young CPC members made household visits for surveying on a daily basis to promote industries and investment in poverty-stricken areas.

“They managed to create development opportunities for these areas from their capabilities, bringing new hopes to the people living in poverty,” Koirala noted.

China has proved to the world with concrete actions that poverty elimination is no longer an “impossible mission”. And this will be an inspiration for other developing countries also challenged by poverty issues, including Nepal, Koirala said.

Cadres from Deqing county, Huzhou, east China's Zhejiang province offering pairing assistance for Eliping town, Butuo county, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan province visit a local registered poor household, June 7, 2020. (People's Daily Online/Xie Shangguo)

“We should learn more from China’s development experience, from poverty reduction and environmental protection to investment attraction and economic development,” he remarked.

Apart from pursuing its own development, the CPC is also actively joining international cooperation to promote joint development and green development, Koirala told People’s Daily.

“Today, the Belt and Road Initiative is bringing new development opportunities to Nepal and other countries along its route,” he said.

He believes that China will achieve better development under the leadership of the CPC, and the cooperation between China and Nepal will embrace new highs in all areas.