China claims Nepal's Pokhara Airport was built under BRI

The Chinese Embassy in Nepal tweeted: "The Inauguration Ceremony of Pokhara International Airport will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow. This is the flagship project of China-Nepal BRI cooperation. Warmly congratulates to Nepali Gov and Nepali people!"

The Belt and Road Initiative, formerly known as One Belt One Road or OBOR for short, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in nearly 150 countries and international organizations.

It is considered a centerpiece of the Chinese leader Xi Jinping's foreign policy. 

Echoing increasing cooperation between China and Nepal, a new international airport built by a Chinese company with Chinese loans was inaugurated in Nepal on Sunday, with officials from both countries hailing the project as a major success of bilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), reports Global Times.

As Pokhara International Airport, a national pride project of Nepal, was inaugurated on Sunday, Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal laid emphasis on its contribution to national and regional development.

A Buddha Air flight carrying the prime minister, also known as Prachanda, was saluted with water cannon when it landed at the new airport.

"With this airport, Pokhara has become the center of connectivity with many countries," Prachanda said at the inauguration ceremony which attracted hundreds of thousands of audience.

Pokhara is a popular tourist destination in central Nepal.

"Nobody will dispute the contribution of Pokhara International Airport to the economic development of the district, the metropolitan city and the whole nation, because of the enhanced connectivity established by this airport," Prachanda said.

The Pokhara airport, a 4D-standard facility, was contracted with loan from the Export-Import Bank of China (China EXIM Bank) by China CAMC Engineering Co., Ltd., a company directly affiliated with China National Machinery Industry Corporation which ranks among the top 500 enterprises in the world. The construction started in July 2017.