A day after India and China announced the reopening of border trade at three passes, Nepal formally objected, saying the areas were an “integral part” of its territory. Kathmandu’s foreign ministry said the disputed regions east of the Mahakali river had already been included in its official map and Constitution.

Nepal urged India “not to undertake any activities such as road construction/expansion or border trade in that area” and said this position had also been conveyed to China. The ministry added that it wanted to settle the boundary question with India “through diplomatic means, based on historical treaties and agreements, facts, maps, and evidence.”

India and China’s agreement

On August 19, India and China announced that they would reopen trade at Lipulekh Pass, Shipki La Pass, and Nathu La Pass. The decision came after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi met India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and external affairs minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi.

India rejects Nepal’s claims

Responding to Nepal’s objection, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s stand on Lipulekh had been “consistent and clear.” He explained that trade through the pass began in 1954 and had continued for decades, though it was paused in recent years due to COVID-19 and “other developments,” including the India-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh. “Both sides have now agreed to resume it,” he said.

Jaiswal dismissed Nepal’s position, saying: “Our position remains that such claims are neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence. Any unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims is untenable.” He added that India remained open to “constructive interaction with Nepal on resolving agreed outstanding boundary issues through dialogue and diplomacy.”

Long-standing dispute over Lipulekh

The Lipulekh Pass, located on the India-China border, has often been a flashpoint between India and Nepal.

  • In 2015, Nepal protested when India and China decided to expand trade through Lipulekh during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Beijing.

  • In 2019, Nepal objected again after India released a new political map showing Kalapani and Lipulekh as Indian territory.

  • In 2020, the inauguration of a new road to Kailash-Manasarovar via Lipulekh led to another row. Nepal’s then prime minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, responded by issuing a revised map that included Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani as Nepali territory. Parliament later endorsed the move, making it part of Nepal’s Constitution. India rejected the map, calling it an “unjustified cartographic assertion.”

Despite Nepal’s objections, Beijing has backed trade arrangements with India through Lipulekh. In 2023, China even released a map that showed the area within Indian territory, prompting Kathmandu to remind Beijing to respect Nepal’s constitutional map.

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