India-China border trade via Lipulekh Pass to resume after six-year hiatus

Key facts

• Border trade between India and China through Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district will resume this year after a six-year suspension.
• District Magistrate Ashish Bhatgai stated that preparations have begun for the trade session that typically runs from June to September following Union government directives.
• The Ministry of External Affairs issued a No Objection Certificate for the resumption of trade.
• Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri wrote to Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan requesting restoration of trade through the Himalayan pass.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry have granted clearances for the trade resumption.
• The state government has been asked to ensure resumption of trade for the 2026 session.
• Local officials' contact details will be shared with Chinese counterparts for better coordination.
• Authorities issuing trade passes, designated banks for currency exchange, the Customs Department and the Dharchula administration have been instructed to prepare a detailed action plan.
• The action plan includes arrangements for transit camps, communication, banking services, security and medical facilities for traders.
• Border trade with Tibet via Lipulekh had resumed in 1992 after a long suspension but was halted in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Jeevan Singh Ronkali, president of the Pithoragarh-based Simant Vyapar Sangathan, welcomed the decision and said traders would retrieve goods stored in warehouses in Tibet's Taklakot since 2019.