Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang (L)?and Nepali Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachhadar hold a meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug 15, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

KATHMANDU - Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and Nepali Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachhadar agreed on Tuesday to make joint efforts to further advance pragmatic cooperation between the two countries.

Calling China and Nepal trustworthy friends and partners for cooperation of mutual benefit, Wang said China is willing to join hands with Nepal to implement consensus reached between leaders of the two neighbors so as to promote their pragmatic cooperation under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative.

The Chinese vice premier called on the two sides to expand bilateral trade and investment, increase connectivity including construction of railways, roads and ports, and enhance cooperation in oil and gas, electricity and clean energy.

"China is ready to help Nepal increase its self-sufficiency of energy," Wang said.

The Chinese vice premier also urged the two countries to deepen people-to-people exchanges, cooperation between local governments, and collaboration in promoting Nepal's tourism in China.

Wang said China will increase cooperation in health care with Nepal and conduct joint research on improving quality of drinking water in Nepali cities.

Expressing condolences and sympathies to victims of recent flood disasters in Nepal, Wang said China will continue to support Nepal in disaster prevention and reconstruction.

For his part, Gachhadar, who is also the minister for federal affairs and local development, said Nepal and China share a long history of friendship and pragmatic cooperation between the two countries has made fruitful achievements.

Gachhadar expressed gratitude for the assistance that the Chinese side had offered to Nepal's socio-economic development, especially assistance to the country's disaster relief and reconstruction efforts.

He noted that Nepal looks forward to further expanding cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, enhancing bilateral trade and investment, strengthening interconnectivity, and pushing forward cooperation in such sectors as transportation infrastructure, energy, disaster prevention and relief.

Gachhadar added that Nepal is willing to provide better investment environment for Chinese enterprises, and he expects more Chinese tourists to visit the Himalayan country.

Also on Tuesday, Wang met respectively with chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (CPN Maoist Center) and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, and CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist and Leninist) chief and former prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli, on strengthening cooperation.