By APD writer Ishwar Dev Khanal
KATHMANDU, November 1 (APD) -- The Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo Theme Forum held in Guangzhou, China has been an eye opener for Om Bahadur Budha, said Mayor of Tripurasundari Municipality, Dolpa, Karnali Province of Nepal.
Om Bahadur Budha, Mayor of Tripurasundari Municipality, Dolpa, Karnali Province of Nepal
His visit to the northern neighbor marked an impression on him about China's dynamic growth and the rapid pace of development. The wide and smooth roads there were a complete surprise to me. Even motorbikes have their own designated lanes, Mayor Budha shared with APD.
In fact, he was mesmerized by the hospitality of well-cultured and highly-disciplined Chinese people. Can we have such roads here? he had a question to ask Nepal's leadership.
Shenzhen, where they spent some time, was massive, and developed. It seemed like a polished city, he said. In a half-an-hour of sitting with APD, he shared a stream of thought response based on his impression of his China visit from October 24-26, 2018 along with other mayors and Nepali leaders, including former Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
The only snag of his trip was definitely the language barrier. My friends could manage it, he grinned when he reminisced about his visit. Budha, 76, got emotional when he went on to say that had Nepalis had the sense of responsibility, Nepal too would have been different.
We have a lot to learn from them, he said while narrating his visit to the Guangzhou Tower, and the headquarters of WeChat, a social media platform, and, of course, the admirable Chinese technology.
Mayor Budha, who has been in politics since 1969, wondered whether Nepal's government initiated to bring in Chinese technology to develop this country.
As the mayor of one of the tourist destinations, Budha'sfocus basically remained on promoting tourism during his visit to China.
In Guangzhou, he along with other mayors of Karnali Province, signed an agreement with the Guangzhou Tourism Promotion Association, an umbrella organization of around 650 travel agencies, to promote tourism in Karnali Province. He considers this as a positive stride towards bringing in more Chinese tourists in the province.
They have agreed to include Karnali in the tour package besides agreeing to prioritize Karnali in all tourism activities held in Guangzhou, Mayor Budha, who was elected from the then CPN-UML party (now Nepal Communist Party), maintained.
Karnali, being an adjoining Province with China, Mayor Budha is enthusiastic about increasing the number of Chinese tourists in the province. I have invited them to visit and promote Karnali, he said adding, People of Karnali will whole-heartedly welcome them.
During his meeting with the tourism entrepreneurs in Guangzhou, Mayor Budha said he have assured them of security, accommodation, and other facilities to Chinese tourists. He was equally excited to participate in the Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo Theme Forum, which provided him an opportunity to meet and interact with representatives from different countries where we could briefly inform about Karnali and the natural resources in Nepal.
Mayor Budha, however, maintained that he grabbed the opportunity to distribute pictures and briefly inform them about Seabuck Thorn, a shrub grown in Karnali and contains medicinal compounds, to the representatives of the Forum. I, in fact, wanted to propose with the Chinese side about installing of a treatment and processing plant for the Seabuck Thorn, which could not materialize due to various reasons, he lamented.
Moreover, he shared that the Forum provided him an opportunity to learn several things such as connectivity, infrastructure, entrepreneurship, cultural exchange, eco-system, among others. It is high time that we acted like the Chinese people to be assiduous and well-cultured, he said adding, We, too, can do better provided we tapped our resources by working with sincerity and responsibility. He sought Chinese support to promote infrastructure in Karnali to promote tourism as well as to market the natural resources there. He recalled a productive meeting with the deputy mayor of Guangzhou where he briefed about Karnali and its tourism prospects. The deputy mayor was highly impressed,'' he said.
In conclusion, Mayor Budha said Nepalis should have easy access to a country like China where they could see, learn and experience, and implement them in Nepal. He expressed appreciation to APD for providing the opportunity to participate in the Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo Theme Forum. The hospitality that we received was highly commendable, he said.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)