India-China border trade resumes after 6 years

SHIMLA/PITHIRAGARH: India and China resumed traditional border trade Saturday through Lipulekh in Uttarakhand and Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh after nearly six years, restoring two key Himalayan trade routes that had remained closed since the Covid-19 pandemic.At Lipulekh in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district, the first batch of 16 traders and four support staff crossed into Tibet without goods as the two sides began restoring trade operations. Chinese authorities restricted the inaugural batch to 20 people, citing infrastructure constraints at the Taklakot trade mart and sought detailed personal information of all traders in advance. They also asked that priority be given to those who had participated in the last trading season in 2019.Accordingly, the traders’ association selected traders whose goods had remained stranded at Taklakot after trade was suspended in 2020. “Priority was given to traders who had participated in the 2019 trading season and had left their goods at Taklakot,” Dharchula SDM and district trade officer Ashish Joshi said.Meanwhile, in Himachal Pradesh, revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi flagged off the first batch of 16 Indian traders as they set off with their horses towards Shipki village in Tibet through the 3,930-metre-high Shipki La Pass. The trade, suspended since 2020 because of Covid, was scheduled to resume on June 1 but was delayed owing to security concerns and inadequate infrastructure at the trading post.Trade through Shipki La, which will remain open until Nov 30, will continue under the traditional barter system. Indian traders will be allowed to stay across the border for up to 72 hours, while the home department has cleared 53 traders after verification of their antecedents.Indian traders have been permitted to export 36 categories of goods, including dried fruits, spices, handicrafts and herbs, while Chinese traders can bring 20 categories of goods, including pashmina, wool, yak hair, sheepskin, goatskin and China clay. Officials said the overall list comprised 72 categories of tradable goods from the Indian side and 30 from the Chinese side.

Negi also inaugurated the Rs 1.7 crore Chhuppan Trade Mart at Namgya village in Pooh subdivision near the international border to facilitate border trade. Replying to a demand by local traders to expand the list of tradable goods, Negi said the proposal would be placed before CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and also with MEA.The routes were scheduled to reopen on June 1 but were delayed because of pending infrastructure and administrative preparations on both sides of the border. tnn (With inputs from Prem Punetha in Pithoragarh)