Nepali King Gyanendra said that China is the most reliable friend of Nepal, and the two neighbors have great potentials in promoting their economic and trade cooperation, especially in the tourism sector.

"Nepal and China are close neighbors with traditional bonds of friendship based on mutual trust," King Gyanendra told a visiting Chinese delegation.

The 28-member delegation led by Lobsang Gyaltsen, vice chairman of the people's government of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, arrived here for a 12-day visit from Aug. 5 to 16 at the invitation of the Nepali government.

The king spoke highly of the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries especially Nepal's cooperation with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. He said, the trans-Himalayan tourism cooperation has been developing with steady steps and has shown a great prospect.

Gyanendra mentioned that the Tibet Autonomous Region has surely made a big change since his visit there in 1994. The development can also make contributions to its cooperation with Nepal and therefore bring benefit and wealth for the Nepalese people.

He said the memorandum of understanding on constituting a jointcommittee for the cooperation of tourism promotion between the two sides, which was signed during the delegation's visit, laid a foundation and became a good outset for their cooperation.

Speaking on the occasion, Gyaltsen expressed the hope that the cooperation between the Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal will bring benefit to the economic development of both sides and to theimprovement of the two peoples' living standard.

He added that China's western development strategy has provideda great opportunity for the development of tourist industry in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and also for its cooperation with Nepal in the tourism sector.