'Not Based On Historical Facts': India Dismisses Nepal's Objections To India-China Trade Through Lipulekh Pass

(MENAFN- Live Mint) India has firmly rejected Nepal's objections to the resumption of border trade with China through the Lipulekh pass, calling Kathmandu's territorial claims“untenable” and“not based on historical facts and evidence.”

Kathmandu had earlier issued a statement asserting that the southern side of the Lipulekh Pass, known as the Kalapani region, belongs to Nepal . It also said that the government has been urging New Delhi to refrain from carrying out any activities, including trade, in the area.

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The Lipulekh pass, a Himalayan crossing point linking India's Uttarakhand state with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, has long been at the centre of a three-way dispute. While India maintains that trade through the pass has taken place since 1954, Nepal claims that the area, along with Kalapani and Limpiyadhura, lies within its territory.

The border dispute gained prominence in 2015 when India and China agreed to expand trade via Lipulekh during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Beijing. Nepal immediately lodged a diplomatic protest.

Tensions deepened in 2020 after India inaugurated a new road link to Kailash Mansarovar, prompting Kathmandu to issue its own updated political map that included the contested areas.

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Responding to media queries, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India's stance has remained“consistent and clear.” He stressed that border trade through Lipulekh had been“going on for decades” but was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The recent decision to restart trade, reached during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to New Delhi from 18-19 August, represents a return to status quo rather than a new development, Indian officials argue.

“Any unilateral, artificial enlargement of territorial claims is untenable,” Jaiswal said, reiterating that New Delhi remains open to dialogue with Nepal on other outstanding boundary issues.

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Nepal has consistently objected to India–China trade deals involving the Lipulekh pass. In 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Beijing and the two sides agreed to expand trade through the route , Kathmandu lodged a strong diplomatic protest.

In 2019, Nepal was further angered when India released a new political map that showed the Kalapani area within Indian territory.

The dispute escalated in May 2020, after India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a new road to Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh , prompting Nepal to issue its own updated political map that included Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh.

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China has signalled support for reopening the pass as part of its broader regional connectivity agenda. Beijing's position has generally aligned with India on the Lipulekh issue, particularly after the publication of its 2023 official map that placed the disputed area within Indian territory. For Kathmandu, this has raised fears of being sidelined by its two powerful neighbours.

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