With agreements on trade, transit and a critical cross-border bridge expected to be inked during Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's visit to China, a more open Tibet is set to contribute greatly to regional economic progress and stability. 

Oli kicked off his week-long visit to China on Sunday, the highest-level interaction between China and Nepal since the establishment of the new Nepali government last October.

Oli said that transit and transport agreements with China are to be signed during his visit, adding that Nepal, a land-locked country, is eager to utilize Chinese sea ports, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Describing the relationship between Nepal and China as high as the Himalayas, Oli said that "Nepal can benefit from China's progress on the economic front."

Oli is also optimistic about trilateral cooperation among China, Nepal and India. 

As Nepal's economy has long relied solely on India for foreign trade, increased trade ties with China are expected to help it achieve more economic independence.

The two sides are to sign a trade and transit treaty and agreements on construction of an international airport in Pokhara, the second-largest city in Nepal, and a bridge to connect Tibet to Hilsa, a northwestern border town of Nepal, during the prime minister's visit, said Nepal's Minister for Industry Som Prasad Pandey, local newspaper The Himalayan Times reported Wednesday.

Besides Beijing, Oli will also travel to South China's Hainan Province to attend the Boao Forum and visit Xi'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province as well as Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The prime minister's delegation is composed of a number of the country's senior officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa, Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel and Minister for Commerce Deepak Bohora. 

Cross-border bridge 

"We have to seek support from foreign countries to develop physical infrastructure in the country" and it is time to promote economic cooperation between Nepal and China, Baburam Bhattarai, Nepal's former prime minister, was quoted by Xinhua as saying Friday.

"China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative will connect Asia and Europe, creating more opportunities in trade, investment and infrastructure development in our region," Pandey said, Xinhua reported Thursday. He agreed that Nepal will become a transit country between China and India through this initiative.

The cross-border bridge and enhanced Sino-Nepali trade are "of great significance" to create a trans-Himalayan economic corridor that connects China, Nepal and India, Wang Dehua, an expert on South Asia Studies at the Center for National Strategic Studies, Shanghai Jiao Tong University told the Global Times on Sunday.

"Nepal has close trade ties with India as its railway network already connects to India's," Wang noted, suggesting that China's railway be extended from Shigatse - the second-largest city in Tibet - to Nepal as soon as possible.

"If the China-Nepal connection goes well, it could be a good opportunity for China to connect to India via Nepal in the future," said Zhao Gancheng, director of South Asia Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. 

Tibet as major beneficiary 

The interconnection of infrastructure, including roads, railways and bridges, between China and neighboring countries like Nepal will not only benefit future bilateral relations, but will provide favorable conditions for the further opening-up of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Zhao said. 

In the past, border disputes with India and the Dalai Lama issue have been of concern to China in opening up Tibet, he said. 

After the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was extended from Lhasa to Shigatse in 2014, it was expected that the construction of railways connecting Shigatse with Gyirong county bordering Nepal, and with Yatung county bordering India and Bhutan, would start during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20).

If Tibet could be more open, it will promote economic and people-to-people exchanges between Tibet and the neighboring regions and more importantly, be conducive to border stability, Wang said.

The increased exchanges would bring "tangible benefits" to people, and as a result, mutual trust and understanding among the peoples would be enhanced, Wang said. 

"Under the 'Belt and Road' initiative, we need to connect the infrastructure [in different countries] first, and then connect people's hearts, so in that way, the Himalayas may not be barriers [to communication] anymore," Wang noted.