Members of a Chinese surveying team head for the summit of Mt Qomolangma on May 27, 2020. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - The new height of Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak, is 8,848.86 meters, China and Nepal jointly announced on Tuesday.

The announcement came as Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Nepali counterpart Bidya Devi Bhandari exchanged letters jointly announcing the height.

Xi said in his letter that China and Nepal reached consensus last year on the joint announcement of the new height of the peak.

Xi said the joint announcement of the new height of Mount Qomolangma with his Nepali counterpart is of great significance in carrying forward the undertakings of the predecessors to the future, and showcasing the high level of the continuous development of China-Nepal relations

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Calling Mount Qomolangma "an important symbol of the China-Nepal traditional friendship," Xi said it is agreed by both countries as the boundary peak and the "Peak of China-Nepal Friendship."

Xi said the joint announcement of the new height of Mount Qomolangma with his Nepali counterpart is of great significance in carrying forward the undertakings of the predecessors to the future, and showcasing the high level of the continuous development of China-Nepal relations.

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China is willing to join hands with Nepal to actively promote the cooperation in ecological and environmental protection and scientific research, and better safeguard the precious wealth and home of both peoples, Xi said.

Mount Qomolangma straddles the China-Nepal border, with its northern part located in Xigaze of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.