Shimla, Aug 24: India and China have agreed on reviving traditional border trade the latter agreeing in principle to reopen the Shipki-La in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, the state government said on Sunday.

The other two designated trading points are Lipulekh Pass and Nathu-La Pass located in Uttarakhand and Sikkim, respectively.

Also both sides have also agreed to continue and further expand the scale of the Indian pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, Gang Renpoche and Lake Manasarovar from 2026.

The Himachal government said it had been making efforts to resume trade with China through Shipki-La.

Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, who recently was on visit to India, held meeting with Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to discuss various bilateral issues.

Both the Ministers agreed in principle during this meeting to the proposal of resuming trade between the two nations.

This breakthrough was made possible due to the intervention of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, who had written to the Union government urging revival of the historic Indo-Tibetan trade route.

Acting on this, the Union government formally took up the matter with China, leading to a consensus to restart the trade. The state government would now take this matter with the Union Commerce Ministry for completing the codal formalities.

EAM Jaishankar has informed the state government that the government of India initiated discussions with China for resumption of border trade through all three designated points -- Shipki-La, Lipulekh and Nathu La, which had been suspended since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Chief Minister had emphasized that Shipki-La, once an offshoot of the legendary Silk Route and formalised as a border trade point under the Indo-China bilateral agreement of 1994, played a vital role in trans-Himalayan economic and cultural exchanges.

In addition to trade, the state government has also received a positive response regarding the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Shipki-La.

The Chief Minister, in his communication to the Centre, highlighted that the Shipki-La route, connecting via Gartok towards Darchen and Mansarovar, is comparatively shorter on the Tibetan side.

Himachal already has road connectivity up to Shipki-La via Rampur Bushahr and Pooh, making it feasible to develop the necessary base camps and supporting infrastructure for the yatra.

The External Affairs Minister, in a letter to the Chief Minister, conveyed that after a five-year gap, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has resumed through Lipulekh Pass and Nathu La and now Shipki-La would be added as an additional route.

These initiatives would not only revive traditional border trade but also open new avenues for tourism, cultural exchange, and economic development in Himachal Pradesh.

(IANS)

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