Nepal, China Agree to Promote Zero Tariff Export Items

Nepal and China agreed to promote the export items to which China has been providing zero tariff facility in a joint secretary level trade talks held at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS) on April 25, 2013.

"Nepal requested the Chinese officials to support the implementation of awareness campaign about the 7,787 exportable items for which zero duty facility is given," Jibaraj Koirala, joint secretary at MoCS who led the Nepalese team, told Xinhua.

The 11-member Chinese delegation led by Bianba, director general of the Department of Commerce of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, has promised to forward the issue to the regional and central government.

"Since promoting zero duty products is a technical issue, we are indeed eager to support Nepal in the awareness program," Koirala quoted Bianba as saying.

In addition, the Nepalese team has urged the Chinese delegation to provide easy access for larger vehicles to Khasa of Tibet to carry goods up to the containers and to manage banking facility at Tatopani customs entry point.

"We also discussed on simplifying the process of issuing the certificate of origin of the export items," said Koirala.

Although China has provided zero duty facility on 7,787 products since November 2012, up from 4,721 items previously, Nepal has been exporting only 366 products including handicraft items, pashmina, vegetable ghee and noodles, according to data from the Trade and Export Promotion Center.

The officials of Nepal and China on Thursday also inked a deal to organize Nepal- China economic and trade fair this year in Shigatse city of Tibet. According to the agreement, the fair, which has been organized alternatively in every two years, will have 70 Nepalese stalls this year and Nepalese exhibitors can take goods worth 259,000 U.S. dollars.