In an historic move to strengthen commercial ties, India and China have decided to resume their border trade through the old Silk Route. According to sources, the border trade between India and China through the historic Nathu La pass in East Sikkim will resume on August 1st, after a hiatus of six years since the COVID.
The border trade via the old Silk Route had initially opened 20 years ago, amid huge expectations of improving the relations in trade between India and China. The border trade through the Nathu La pass remains officially open for about six months every year, starting from May ending in November.
The resumption of the trade will end a six-year hiatus that affected the trade or traders and border communities in the region, especially Sikkim. The Silk Road, also known as the Silk Route, was a historic network of trade routes that connected the East and West, enabling the exchange of goods, culture, and ideas between Asia and the Middle East and Europe. It played a crucial role in the development of civilizations and the spread of technologies, religions, and commodities across continents. However, it was not a single defined route, rather a complex web of interconnected paths that traversed diverse landscapes from deserts and mountains to plains and seas. It is an offshoot of an ancient trade path from Lhasa. It passes through Shumbey Valley, Nathu La Pass, and ends at the port of Tamralipta. From here, the route extends to sea destinations like Sri Lanka, Bali, Java, and the Far East.
India is already developing road and railway infrastructure, with a 45-kilometer Sevoke-Rangpo railway link nearing completion. Plans are eventually to extend the same line up to the Nathu La Pass. The Indian Railways has started the final location survey for a proposed railway line linking Gangtok with Nathu La in Sikkim, which follows the completion of FLS for the Rangpo-Gangtok section.
Besides, the road connectivity is also being strengthened with the construction of Rongli-Menla road, which is a 93-kilometer highway project along the National Highway 717B in East Sikkim, spanning from Rangpo Bazaar to Menla near the Indo-Tibetan border. The Kailash Mansarovar religious pilgrimage undertaken by the Hindus to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in Tibetan Autonomous Region of China resumed through the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim resumed last year.