India rejects Nepal’s claim over Lipulekh, says border trade with China dates back to 1954
New Delhi says unilateral claims are ‘untenable’ as pressure mounts on PM Oli to raise issue during India and China visits.MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal Screengrab Via YouTube
India on Wednesday responded to Nepal’s objection over the decision to reopen border trade with China through the Lipulekh pass, rejecting Kathmandu’s claim and reiterating that trade through the route existed for decades.
“We have noted the comments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal related to the resumption of border trade between India and China through the Lipulekh Pass,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs. “Our position in this regard has been consistent and clear. Border trade between India and China through Lipulekh pass commenced in 1954 and has been going on for decades.”
The spokesperson said the trade had been disrupted in recent years due to Covid and other developments, and both sides had now agreed to resume it. On Nepal’s territorial claims, Jaiswal said such claims were “neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence,” describing them as “untenable.”
India said it remains open to “constructive interaction” with Nepal on agreed outstanding boundary issues through dialogue and diplomacy.
The response comes after Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed that Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani, east of the Mahakali River, are integral parts of Nepali territory as per the constitution and official map. Kathmandu has urged both India and China not to carry out activities in the area without Nepal’s consent.
The issue resurfaced after India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during the 24th round of the Special Representatives’ dialogue on the boundary in New Delhi on Tuesday, agreed to reopen three traditional border trade routes: Lipulekh, Shipki La, and Nathu La. Both countries later issued statements confirming the decision.
The controversy comes ahead of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s visits to China and India. Oli is scheduled to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin later this month and then travel to India on September 16. Pressure is growing on him to take up the issue with both Beijing and New Delhi.
Nepal has repeatedly raised objections over India-China agreements on Lipulekh. In 2015, Kathmandu formally protested when the two countries agreed to use the pass as a bilateral trade route without Nepal’s consent. Similar objections were made in 2020 after India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a road link to the pass.
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