Nepal is not aware of the agreement between India and China to trade through Lipulekh. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that 'Limpiyadhura, Lipulek and Kalapani are integral parts of Nepal'.
What you should know
North and South neighbors China and India have agreed to open bilateral trade through Lipulekh Pass. Both the countries have not even informed Nepal about bilateral trade through the Lipulek Pass, a land 56 km from Limpiyadhura, the western border of Nepal. While Nepal has been opposing this 6-decade-old issue for about a decade.
Nepal's position
India's answer
During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India, the two countries agreed to reopen border trade through the Lipulek Pass. Earlier also in 2015, when Narendra Modi visited China for the first time as the Indian Prime Minister, there was an 'agreement to trade through Lipulekh Pass'.
The then government led by Sushil Koirala immediately sent a diplomatic note to both countries, objecting to the agreement between India and China. Ignoring the protest and awakening that has been manifested in Nepal in a decade on this issue India and China have made the same agreement.
Regarding the visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister, it is mentioned that the opening of bilateral trade through the Lipulek Pass was announced on Tuesday night in a public bilateral agreement. "Both countries have agreed to reopen the border trade through the three designated trading points Lipulek Pass, Shipki La Pass and Nathu La Pass," the statement said. The same issue is also mentioned in the statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.
When Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is preparing to visit China and India, the dispute about Lipulek has come to the surface, which has made the Nepali side sensitive. After the announcement of the agreement between China and India, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal has also issued a statement, in which Limpiyadhura, Lipulek and Kalapani are an integral part of Nepal.
The Ministry of Nepal is clear about the fact that Limpiyadhura, Lipulek and Kalapani east of the Mahakali River are integral parts of Nepal. It is known that the Government of Nepal has been requesting the Government of India not to do any activities like road construction/expansion, border trade in that area. It is also known that the ally China has been informed about the fact that the area is Nepalese territory,' said the press note issued by the spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri. According to the spirit and spirit of the close and friendly relationship between Nepal and India, the Nepalese government is committed to solving the border problem between the two countries through diplomatic means based on historical treaties and agreements, facts, maps and evidence, it is mentioned in the press note.
After the press note was issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, India also responded, but reiterated its stance on Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulek. Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said that he is aware of the comments of Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the agreement between India and China regarding trade through Lipulek Pass.
'Our old stand on this issue is clear and continuous, trade between India and China started from 1954 through Lipulekh and it has been going on for decades,' he said, 'Such trade was stopped recently due to the covid epidemic and other reasons. Now both sides have agreed to resume business.
India claims that the reference to Nepal's claim to its territory is not confirmed by historical facts and evidence. As far as geographical claims are concerned, our view is clear that such claims are neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence. Any such unilateral artificial geographical claim is unacceptable," said the Ministry of External Affairs. India says that it is open to resolve the border issue through diplomatic and constructive dialogue with Nepal.
When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China on May 14, 2015, the agreement reached between his counterpart Li Keqiang mentioned the enhancement of bilateral trade through the Lipulek border crossing. It was mentioned in the agreement that "Both sides agreed to expand border trade through Nathu La, Kiangla/Lipulek Pass and Shipki La Pass". At that time, India and China agreed to expand trade through the land of Nepal, there was strong opposition in Nepal. The then government registered a formal protest.
The then Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey says that the government immediately sent a diplomatic note to both countries objecting to the agreement. "Lipulek is our land, no country can use our land just because it is powerful," he said. Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to visit the Chinese city of Tiachin on August 15 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting. Similarly, Oli is making an official visit to India on 31 August. Pandey says that both visits are a good opportunity for the Prime Minister to formally present his views on behalf of Nepal.
Pandey suggests that Nepal should make diplomatic efforts to create an environment for bilateral talks with the Indian Prime Minister and the Chinese President/Prime Minister on the sidelines. "In bilateral talks, we have to make our point known. If possible, we should also try for tripartite talks," he says, "while India and China are trying to solve their border problems, we should also try to solve our problems."
Former foreign minister, Congress leader Prakasharan Mahat says that in the current world politics, everyone is looking at their own national interest, so we should also speak with the same as a priority. "When everyone is only talking about their national interest, others should not talk about us," he said to Kantipur. Regarding the border, our position is the same as before. Both the neighbors should be reminded of that,' he says, 'They are trying to resolve the unresolved issue between them, we should also take diplomatic initiatives to resolve the dispute.'
Nepal sent another diplomatic note expressing objection to the map issued by India. But after India ignored it, Nepal issued a new map in June 2077 showing Nepal up to Limpiyadhura. Aware of the dispute between Nepal and India, China, its northern neighbor, released a new map in 2023, showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura on the Indian side.
