According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website, the third
Sino-Nepali Joint Border Survey was recently completed.
On November 9, the Foreign Ministry held a conference at
Diaoyutai State Guesthouse commending units and individuals that
had made outstanding achievements during the third Sino-Nepali
Joint Border Survey.
The Sino-Nepali border is 1,414 kilometers long and is among the
highest of China's land borders, containing some horrendous natural
conditions. Most of the border areas are the high Himalayan
Mountains, a zone rife with natural disaster and considered highly
perilous for human life.
China and Nepal signed a boundary treaty in 1961, further
demarcating the border in 1963. Previous joint border surveys were
carried out in 1979 and 1988. The regular joint survey aims to
inspect and maintain the stability and accuracy of the borders.
The third survey, started this April, has maintained 98 boundary
pillars and accurately mapped their positions through Global
Position System (GPS) and established a geographic database to
digitalize related border affairs management.
In accordance with joint agreements, China is responsible for
the demarcation and mapping sections of the survey while Nepal is
responsible for its inspection and confirmation. This unique
fieldwork working mode is a result of the traditional friendship,
long-term cooperation and mutual trust between the two countries.
Further, it demonstrates the friendly foreign policy China has
adopted in developing relations with its neighbors.
The Chinese team members are from related departments in the Tibet Autonomous Region and Shaanxi Province's mapping bureau. They
overcame the challenges of severe cold, blizzards, anoxic symptoms
and other hardships and completed the task one month ahead of
schedule. Furthermore, they set up two new boundary pillars and
filled the blanks left by two previous joint surveys.
With the assistance of the latest GPS mapping and survey
technology, this inspection has accurately measured the coordinates
and heights of boundary markers to the nearest centimeter. It also
developed the Geographic Information System (GIS) to facilitate the
implementation of the joint survey. The GIS is the first computer
assistant system to be used in practical joint border surveys. It
provides a new platform for inspectors to integrate mapping results
and will later be applied in the management of Sino-Nepali
borders.
(Chinanews.com, translated by Li Shen for China.org.cn, November
15, 2006)
