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)