India firmly rejected the Nepalese objections to the restoration of border trade with China through the Lipulekh Pass and called the territorial claims Kathmandu “unsustainable” and “is not based on historical facts and evidence”.
Kathmandu had previously issued a statement claiming that the south side of the Lipulekh Pass, known as the Kalapani region, belongs to Nepal. She also stated that the government urges a new Delhi to delay any activities, including trade, in this area.
Why did the Lipulemh pass become the point of flash?
Pass Lipulekh, the Himalayan temporary point connecting the Indian state Uttarakhand with the Tibetan autonomous region in China, has long been on the middle of a three -way dispute. While India claims that trade in the pass has been running since 1954, Nepal claims that the area along with Kalapani and Limpiyadhura lies on its territory.
The border dispute was gaining importance in 2015, when India and China agreed to expand the trade through Lipulekh during a visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Beijing. Nepal immediately submitted a diplomatic protest.
The tension was deepened in 2020 after India launched a new road connection with Kailash Mansarovar, which made Kathmandu publish its own updated political map, which included the contested areas.
What is India’s attitude?
Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for the external affairs, said in response to media inquiries that the Indian attitude remained “consistent and clear”. He stressed that the border trade through Lipulelek “continued for decades”, but was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemia.
The recent decision to restart the trade, which was achieved during a visit to the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Nový Dilli from 18 to 19 August, is a return to status rather than new development, Indian officials say.
“Any one -sided, artificial enlargement of territorial requirements is unsustainable,” Jaiswal said, reiterating that the new Delhi remains an open dialogue with Nepal on other excellent border issues.
What is the objection of Nepal?
Nepal constantly raised objections to business agreements on India – China, which concern the passage of Lipulemh. In 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Beijing and both sides agreed to expand the trade through the route, Kathmandu filed a strong diplomatic protest.
In 2019, Nepal was further angry when India released a new political map that showed the Kalapani area in Indian territory.
The dispute escalated in May 2020 after the Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh launched a new way to Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh, which caused Nepal to release his own updated political map, which included Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekhh.
How is China involved?
China has signaled support for re -opening the pass within its wider regional connection agenda. Beijing’s position generally teamed up with India in the question of Lipulelekh, especially after the publication of the official map 2023, which placed a controversial area in Indian territory. For Kathmandu, this raised concerns about the displacement of its two powerful neighbors.
(Tagstotranslate) China
