India and China reopened their trade through the legendary and historic Nathu La Pass in Sikkim on Saturday after six years of closure. The volume of trades is not likely to pick up, but is seen as a major breakthrough in the ongoing process of normalisation between the two neighbours.
Nathu La stands at 14,140 feet (4,300 metres) and has been closed since 2020, when there was fresh impetus due to clashes in Galwan Valley. It comes on the heels of a round of senior-level talking between New Delhi and Beijing during the last year.
Trade has been restored, but with a high level of regulation, only approved commodities are allowed to be traded. Every registered trader will be limited to trading up to Rs 2 lakh per day, and the trade route will continue to operate from Monday to Thursday during the trading season.
Before the Integrated Check Post was reopened, the authorities were tasked with repairing the infrastructure that had weakened over the years of closure, and they have completed this task for the Integrated Check Post as well as Sherathang Trade Mart. The security arrangements have also been beefed up with the deployment of more officers by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), also at the all-women unit in Sherathang.
The new service comes after Kailash Mansarovar Yatra lifting and direct flights between the two countries were also rolled out as bilateral confidence-building measures.
While several disputes such as the border issue and the trade deficit continue to linger, the opening up of the Nathu La is considered as a sign of a trust building exercise and have been looked upon as an important measure towards enhancing India with China’s relationship.