Sino-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendshipनेपाल–चीन शान्ति तथा मैत्री सन्धि
Nepal's deliberate counterweight to the 1950 treaty with India: five short articles of sovereign equality, peaceful settlement and non-interference — pointedly without security clauses, arms controls or secret letters. Signed by B.P. Koirala and Zhou Enlai, it remains one of the most stable elements of Nepal's foreign relations.
Signed
1960
28 April 1960, Kathmandu
Parties
2
Nepal · China
Ratified / in force
Ratified
Instruments of ratification exchanged in Peking (Beijing), per Article V
Status
In force
Still operative today
Signatories: Prime Minister Bishweshwar Prasad (B.P.) Koirala (Nepal); Premier Zhou Enlai (China).
What the agreement says
The substantive terms, article by article where the structure allows.
Article I provides for mutual recognition and respect of each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Article II commits both states to maintain peaceful and friendly relations and to settle all disputes by peaceful negotiation.
Article III develops economic and cultural ties on the principles of equality, mutual benefit and non-interference in internal affairs.
Article IV directs that differences over interpretation be settled through normal diplomatic channels.
Article V makes the treaty subject to ratification, in force for ten years on exchange of instruments and continuing indefinitely thereafter unless terminated on one year's written notice.
The treaty was done in Chinese, Nepali and English, all texts equally authentic, and built on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (Panchsheel) adopted when Nepal and the PRC established relations on 1 August 1955.
How it came about — and what it means
The 1960 treaty was Nepal's deliberate counterweight to the 1950 treaty with India — similar friendship language, but pointedly without security clauses, arms-import controls, secret letters or consultation obligations. B.P. Koirala, Nepal's first elected prime minister, used the China opening to demonstrate that democratic Nepal would practise equidistance between its giant neighbours. Zhou Enlai's address to Nepal's parliament on 28 April 1960 explicitly endorsed Nepal's 'independent policy of neutrality' and its refusal to join military blocs — language Kathmandu prized as recognition of non-alignment.
The treaty came as part of a package. Koirala had visited China on 11–22 March 1960; the joint communique of 21 March records the signing of the Boundary Agreement and an Economic Aid Agreement under which China granted Nepal 100 million Indian Rupees over three years, free of political conditions, on top of an unused 40 million from the 1956 aid agreement — an enormous sum against Nepal's then budget — and the two sides agreed to upgrade ties to resident embassies. The friendship treaty itself was proposed by China during that visit and signed when Zhou came to Kathmandu the following month.
The treaty's minimalism is its message: five short articles establishing sovereign equality, peaceful settlement and non-interference. For Beijing, it secured a friendly, neutral buffer on the Tibetan frontier within months of the 1959 Lhasa uprising and the Dalai Lama's flight; for Kathmandu, it brought aid, embassies and bargaining leverage with Delhi. It survived the 1960 royal coup — King Mahendra jailed its Nepali signatory in December 1960, and China continued business with the palace — the 1962 Sino-Indian war, in which Nepal stayed neutral, and every change of regime since. China has periodically floated the idea of a new, upgraded treaty, which Nepal has not taken up; anniversary diplomacy around 28 April remains a fixture of the relationship.
Consequences & legacy
Established resident embassies in Kathmandu and Peking and brought the 100-million-Indian-Rupee Chinese aid grant of March 1960.
Anchored Nepal's policy of equidistance between India and China — a friendship treaty with no security strings, in deliberate contrast to the 1950 Indo-Nepal treaty.
Survived the 1960 royal coup, the 1962 Sino-Indian war and every Nepali change of regime since; it remains in force.
Sino-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship: FAQ
When was the Sino-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed?+
The Sino-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship was signed on 28 April 1960, Kathmandu. Ratification: Instruments of ratification exchanged in Peking (Beijing), per Article V.
Who were the parties to the Sino-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship?+
The parties were Nepal and China. It was signed by Prime Minister Bishweshwar Prasad (B.P.) Koirala (Nepal); Premier Zhou Enlai (China).
What did the Sino-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship establish?+
Nepal's deliberate counterweight to the 1950 treaty with India: five short articles of sovereign equality, peaceful settlement and non-interference — pointedly without security clauses, arms controls or secret letters. Signed by B.P. Koirala and Zhou Enlai, it remains one of the most stable elements of Nepal's foreign relations. A core provision: Article I provides for mutual recognition and respect of each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Is the Sino-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship still in force today?+
Yes. The Sino-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship is classed as "In force" and remains operative today.
Sources & data note
Dates, terms and figures for the Sino-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship as documented by the listed sources. Where credible sources disagree, the discrepancy is stated on this page rather than silently resolved.