India, China agree to reopen river border trade

New Delhi: India and China have agreed to reopen the border trade through the three designated points – Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh and Nathu La Pass in Sikkim – making yet another move to bring back on track the bilateral relations, which had hit a new low during the 2020-2024 military stand-off in eastern Ladakh.

The decision to restart the border trade was taken during a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday. New Delhi and Beijing announced it on Tuesday.

Jaishankar also conveyed to Wang India's concerns over the mega dam construction being undertaken by China in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra river), which will have implications for lower riparian states. The need for utmost transparency in this regard was strongly underlined, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.

The two sides agreed to give full play to the role of the India-China Expert Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers and keep communication on renewal of the relevant MoUs. The Chinese side agreed to share hydrological information during emergencies based on humanitarian considerations, according to the MEA press release.

India and China also agreed to resume direct flight connectivity between Chinese mainland and Indian cities at the earliest, and finalise an updated Air Services Agreement.