After 5-year freeze, India–China eye trade thaw through Lipulekh, Shipki La and Nathu La

 

India and China are in talks to resume border trade through three traditional routes after a five-year pause, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

"We have remained engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade through all the designated trade points — namely Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh, and Nathu La Pass in Sikkim," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. He added that any developments would be shared in due course.

On ties with the United States, Jaiswal highlighted the growing defence cooperation, calling it a key pillar of the bilateral relationship. A US Defence Policy Team is expected in New Delhi mid-August, and the 21st edition of the joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ will take place in Alaska. Both nations are also working to hold a 2+2 Intersessional meeting before the month ends.

"The India-US defence partnership, underpinned by foundational defence agreements, is an important pillar of the bilateral partnership," Jaiswal said, noting that cooperation spans all domains and the defence procurement process remains on track.

On broader diplomatic matters, Jaiswal clarified that any deportation of Indian nationals from the UK will only proceed after verification under the bilateral Migration Partnership Agreement. He also stated that individuals retain the right to appeal post-deportation.

As for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the upcoming UN General Assembly session, no decision has been taken yet, Jaiswal said.

Speaking on the de-dollarisation issue, Jaiswal said, "We have made our position clear on this issue earlier. De-dollarization is not a part of India’s financial agenda."

China will send a top official to New Delhi next week, as Beijing steps up efforts to ease long-standing tensions with India amid US President Donald Trump’s global trade overhaul.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will likely travel to New Delhi on August 18 — his first trip to the country in over three years — and is expected to meet India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit China for the first time in seven years to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on August 31-September 1. He is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines.