China and Nepal study feasibility of cross-border power grid

China and Nepal will conduct a feasibility study to construct a high-voltage power transmission line across the Himalayas to facilitate the exchange of electric power, officials said on Saturday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Nepali counterpart Narayan Khadka witnessed the signing of an agreement following talks in Nepal's capital Kathmandu.

Nepal faces power shortages during the dry season and the planned grid would alleviate the problem through imports from China.

In recent years Beijing has spent millions of dollars building or upgrading highways, airports, power plants and hospitals in Nepal, eager to gain influence on the country which acts as a natural buffer between it and India.