Nepal and China jointly announced the new snow height of the tallest mountain peak on planet Earth, Mount Everest at 8848.86m. In 1955, the height of Mount Everest established by Indian survey was at 8848 m. On Tuesday, the new height declared by an increase of 0.86m.
Both Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi were present on the occasion. The Nepali foreign minister called it a "special and historic moment", with Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi saying, "together both countries will create a brighter future of win-win cooperation....and China Nepal friendship last forever."
During the occasion, letters by Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Chinese President Xi Jinping were also exchanged.
For the joint announcement of height, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed last year between China's ministry of natural resources and Nepal's ministry of land management, cooperatives, and poverty alleviation. Both sides had sent expedition teams on the ground as part of the project.
The development comes even as both countries have increased engagement. Chinese President Xi Jinping had visited the country. The announcement comes just days after Chinese defense minister Wei Fenghe visited Kathmandu.