India, China resume Lipulekh border trade; Nepal protests

India and China agreed to resume border trade through the Lipulekh Pass and two other designated routes, a move that has drawn a formal objection from Nepal which insists the Lipulekh area lies within Nepali territory. New Delhi and Beijing framed the decision as a routine restart of a long-standing cross-border trade channel that was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and related developments, while Kathmandu asserted that the territory in question—Limpiyadhura, Kalapani, and Lipulekh east of the Mahakali River—remains an integral part of Nepal and should not be subject to unilateral activity such as road construction or trade.

New Delhi reiterated its position that Nepal’s territorial claims are not justified and are not grounded in historical facts or evidence. A spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said border trade through Lipulekh began in 1954 and continued for decades, only to be disrupted in recent years due to the pandemic. The spokesperson stressed that India remains open to constructive interaction with Nepal to resolve outstanding boundary issues through dialogue and diplomacy, while underscoring that unilateral enlargements of territorial claims are...