While Nepal is still debating its border dispute with India following India’s agreement with China to reopen the route to Manasarovar through the Lipulekh area, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has said that Nepal also has border-related issues with China.

Responding to questions from lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Thursday, he said that there are a few disputes.

“There are border disputes with China in limited areas. It is not that there are no disputes at all,” he said. “There is less activity at the northern border crossings.” The foreign minister made the statement just a day after he returned from his first visit to China on Wednesday.

As per the boundary protocol signed between Nepal and China, both sides should conduct joint inspection every 10 years and sign an updated boundary protocol. As there has not been a joint boundary inspection between Nepal and China since 2006, there are no official records of the list of boundary issues between Nepal and China.

Nepal and China concluded their first boundary talks in 1961 and signed the Boundary Protocol in 1963. The protocol provides for three different mechanisms to deal with boundary issues: the Joint Inspection Team, Joint Expert Group, and Joint Inspection Committee. Later, Nepal and China renewed the Boundary Protocol in 1979 and 1988.

According to officials and experts who follow the matter, Nepal and China have a dispute over pillar number 57 in Dolakha district, which was a major bone of contention following the resolution of the height of Mt Everest in December 2020. Besides pillar no 57, disputes have often surfaced in Humla, Gorkha, and Kimathanka (Sankhuwasabha), which need to be resolved through joint inspection. In addition to resolving disputes, as per the boundary protocol, both sides should update the boundary status every 10 years.

Despite the Nepal government’s claims that the Nepal-China border is largely dispute-free, there are reports of several boundary-related issues, such as encroachment, fencing and wiring, illegal construction, missing border pillars, lack of maintenance of boundary markers, and the Chinese side’s use of high-level digital surveillance on the border. In 2022, the District Administration Office, Humla suggested that the Chinese attempted to construct a 145-meter permanent canal in Nepali territory.

Khanal clarified that while the northern border does not see the same level of activity as the border with India, the government has set aside a placeholder budget to address disputes in a handful of areas and to cover expenses related to their resolution when necessary.

Regarding the border dispute with the southern neighbour, Khanal told Parliament that Nepal and India are holding discussions on issues such as the reconstruction of border pillars and cross-border encroachment. “The process had been halted for long, but it has now resumed,” he said. “Technical teams from both countries are in the border areas and carrying out their work.”

Nepal and India have formed a Boundary Working Group to look into the boundary issues besides in Susta and Kalapani, where the disputes are recognised by both states.

Khanal also said that the government is prioritising border management, the safety of Nepali migrant workers abroad, and economic diplomacy.

According to Minister Khanal, work is currently underway in Nepal–India border areas on the reconstruction of border pillars and the collection of data related to encroachment in the no-man’s land (cross-border occupation). A meeting of the technical committee is expected to take place in August.

“Since the formation of the new government, through visits to India and China, phone conversations with counterparts, and other diplomatic activities while leading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have contributed to promoting national interests,” he said.

Minister Khanal also committed to maximum utilisation of the ministry’s budget and completing assigned tasks in a cost-effective and efficient manner. He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has completed important activities during the current fiscal year, including bilateral and multilateral meetings, regional and international cooperation promotion, and official visits and engagements.