Chinese surveyors left for the China-Nepal border on Wednesday
to begin the third joint border survey with Nepal.
The surveyors, divided into five teams, will join their Nepalese
counterparts on Thursday at Xigaze, a major city in southern
Tibet.
The survey, which will be completed by the end of September this
year, aims to accurately map the 98 boundary pillars and 79 markers
along the 1,400-km-long border.
The findings of the operation are expected to be published by
the end of next year.
The two countries will use global positioning system (GPS)
technology to survey markers, and the Geographic Information System
(GIS) to draft a new boundary agreement.
China and Nepal signed a boundary treaty in 1961 and demarcated
the border in 1963. Previous joint border inspections were carried
out in 1979 and 1988.
(Xinhua News Agency April 6, 2006)