Border trade between India and China through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district is set to resume this June after a six-year pause since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and border skirmishes with the northern neighbour, as per a PTI report.
This comes after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for trade through the Himalayan Pass this year, according to the report.
Pithoragarh District Magistrate Ashish Bhatgai told the agency that following the Centre's nod, preparations have begun for the trade session which usually lasts from June to September.
Pithoragarh-based Simant Vyapar Sangathan, welcomed this decision, the report added. President Jeevan Singh Ronkali said the resumption would allow traders to retrieve goods stored in warehouses in Tibet's Taklakot since the 2019 suspension.
- Bhatgai added that the contact details of local officials' will also be shared with their Chinese counterparts to ensure better coordination between the two countries' authorities.
- Further, to facilitate smooth trade, the Customs Department and the Dharchula administration has prepared a detailed action plan for the issuance of trade passes and designated banks for currency exchange.
- Also included in the arrangement are banking services, communication, medical facilities and security for traders, and transit camps, it added.
About Lipulekh Pass: History and significance
Located at a height of 17,000 feet in Pithoragarh district’s Chand valley, trade through the historic Lipulekh Pass was also previously suspended for decades after the 1962 India-China war; and resumed in 1992.
The pass linking India’s Uttarakhand state with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, has long been at the centre of a three-way dispute. While India maintains that trade through the pass has taken place since 1954, Nepal claims that the area, along with Kalapani and Limpiyadhura, lies within its territory.
Nepal has consistently objected to India–China trade deals involving the Lipulekh pass and lodged a diplomatic protest in 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Beijing and the two sides agreed to expand trade through the route. Tensions deepened in 2020 after India inaugurated a new road link to Kailash Mansarovar.
Meanwhile, Beijing’s position has generally aligned with India on the Lipulekh issue, particularly after the publication of its 2023 official map that placed the disputed area within Indian territory.
