India-China agrees to revive border trade through Shipki-La Pass
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s consistent efforts have borne fruit as both India and China have agreed to re-opening of border trade through the three designated trading points, namely Lipulekh Pass, Shipki-La Pass and Nathu-La Pass. The both sides have also agreed to continue and further expand the scale of the Indian pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, Gang Renpoche and Lake Manasarovar from 2026.
The Himachal government had been making efforts to resume trade with China through Shipki-La (Kinnaur). The Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, who recently was on visit to India held meeting with Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to discuss various bilateral issues. Both the Ministers agreed in principle during this meeting to the proposal of resuming trade between the two nations.
This breakthrough was made possible due to the personal intervention of Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who had written to the Union government urging revival of the historic Indo-Tibetan trade route. Acting on this, the union government formally took up the matter with China, leading to a consensus to restart the trade. The state government would now take this matter with the union commerce ministry for completing the codal formalities.
Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has informed the state government that the Government of India initiated discussions with China for resumption of border trade through all three designated points- Shipki-La (Himachal Pradesh), Lipulekh (Uttarakhand) and Nathu La (Sikkim), which had been suspended since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Chief Minister had emphasized that Shipki-La, once an offshoot of the legendary Silk Route and formalized as a border trade point under the Indo-China bilateral agreement of 1994, played a vital role in trans-Himalayan economic and cultural exchanges.
In addition to trade, the state government has also received a positive response regarding the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (KMY) through Shipki-La. The Chief Minister, in his communication to the Centre, highlighted that the Shipki-La route, connecting via Gartok towards Darchen and Mansarovar is comparatively shorter on the Tibetan side. Himachal Pradesh already has road connectivity up to Shipki-La via Rampur Bushahr and Pooh, making it feasible to develop the necessary base camps and supporting infrastructure for the Yatra.
The Union External Affairs Minister, in a letter to the Chief Minister, conveyed that after a five-year gap, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has resumed through Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand) and Nathu La Pass (Sikkim), and now Shipki-La would be added as an additional route. These initiatives would not only revive traditional border trade but also open new avenues for tourism, cultural exchange, and economic development in Himachal Pradesh.
The Chief Minister has expressed gratitude to the union government for prioritizing these key concerns of the State in bilateral dialogues with China.
