Two-way trade between Nepal and China through the Kerung-Rasuwagadhi border port resumed formally after almost three years on Wednesday.

Although the export of goods to China had resumed from Tuesday onwards, a two-way trade resumption ceremony, marking the formal resumption, was held at the Kerung-Rasuwagadhi border port on Wednesday, informed Lhasa-based Consulate General Nawaraj Dhakal.

The ceremony was attended by delegates of the Department of Commerce of Xizang Autonomous Region, the Lhasa Customs, the General Station of Immigration Inspection of Xizang Autonomous Region, the Health Commission of Xizang Autonomous Region, and other relevant departments.

The Kathmandu-based Chinese Embassy released pictures of the ceremony and further stated that China was looking forward to importing more goods from Nepal.

Following the ceremony, six cargo trucks fully loaded with Nepali goods went through the port and entered China.

According to Narayan Prasad Bhandari, Head of Rasuwa Customs, goods worth Rs 5 million were exported on Tuesday.

“In recent years, Kerung port has continuously improved its infrastructure and customs clearance efficiency, leading to a rapid growth of trade. The total import and export trade volume of Kerung port from 2015 to 2020 reached 14.71 billion yuan,” stated the Chinese Embassy in the press release.

The port, which has been a part of political, economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries for eons, came into formal operation in 1961 and was approved as China’s national first-level port in 1987.

As per the customs department’s report, goods worth Rs 763 million were exported to China in the fiscal year 2019-20.

The port had been closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic but a one-way freight clearance at Kerung port was reopened in April 2020 at the request of Nepal. An estimated 150 businesses were exporting their products through the Kerung-Rasuwagadhi port. The goods were left in warehouses for 35 months due to the pandemic.

In 2021, when the pandemic was at its peak in Nepal, Xizang Autonomous Region provided a large number of medical supplies to Nepal through the port, including 30,000 litres of liquid oxygen.

Through the port, Nepal imports ready-made clothes, footwear, apples, motor batteries, plastic products and more.

Nepal exports pashmina, carpets, bamboo stools, wheat, vanaspati ghee, noodles, pasta, biscuit, juice, jam, beaten rice, sugar, Nepali hog plum candy, chocolates, chewing gum and more to China.

The Tatopani port, however, has been shut down since the 2015 earthquake and shows no signs of reopening anytime soon.