By Our Correspondent, Bhairahawa, Feb. 9: Speakers at a programme on Tuesday stressed the need for bolstering age-old Nepal-China friendly relationship.

Speaking at a programme held to exchange greetings on the occasion of the Chinese New Year, they said China had contributed impressively to the economic progress of the world. The greetings exchange programme was organised by Nepal-China Friendship Society, Lumbini.

Siddharthanagar Mayor Hari Prasad Adhikari said that China had made immense progress. Nepal should learn a lesson from China’s rapid economic and technical development.

Adhikari also added that new vistas of works and mutual cooperation should be opened to further consolidate relations between the two neighbours.

Chairman of Nepal-China Friendship Society, Lumbini, Narayan Sapkota, said that China under President Xi Jinping had made immense and swift progress in all fields. China has become a world economic and military power under President Xi’s leadership, Sapkota said.

China made tremendous progress because the Chinese people are a hard-working lot, he said and added China never discriminates nations on the basis of bigger or smaller territories.

Chairman of Nepal Press Club, Lumbini, Naresh KC said that Chinese tourists were coming to Nepal in hordes. If the Chinese language could be taught to the people involved in the tourism sector, it would help promote our tourism, he added.

Writer Bijay Govinda Shrestha said that Buddhism as religion contributed a lot in the progress of China.

Similarly, social activist Narayan Prasad Agrawal said that Nepal should learn from Chinese model of development.

Resource Person at Lumbini Boudhha University Geetu Giri stressed that the relation of Nepal with China would go up in the days ahead because both nations believed in the Principal of Panchasheel.

Nepal-China Friendship Society, Lumbini vice-chairman Gobvinda Prasad Regmi viewed on the need to expand further the Nepal-China relations.