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India and China resumed border trade through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim and Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh on 1 August 2026.
The reopening ends a suspension of nearly six years that began in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic and border tensions.
Seasonal trade through Nathu La will run Monday to Thursday until November, with the gate opening at 7:30 am.
Registered traders may transact up to Rs 2 lakh a day, and 38 traders have been issued trade passes this year.
Nathu La sits at about 4,545 metres and was first reopened for border trade in 2006, after being closed since the 1962 war.
Nathu La functions as a major artery of the historic trade route between India and Tibet, part of the wider Silk Road network.
The pass is closed following the India-China war.
Serious clashes take place at Nathu La and nearby Cho La between Indian and Chinese troops.
Border trade through Nathu La is reopened after 44 years, following an agreement between the two governments.
Trade is suspended as the COVID-19 pandemic begins and border tensions escalate.
Border trade resumes through Nathu La and Shipki La after nearly six years.
India and China have three designated border trade points, each in a different state. Nathu La in East Sikkim connects to Yadong in Tibet and is the highest-profile of the three. Shipki La lies in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, on the route of the Sutlej as it enters India. Lipulekh sits at the trijunction of India, Nepal and China in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district, and is also on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route, as is Nathu La. All three are high-altitude passes usable only in the summer and autumn months, which is why the trade is seasonal and closes around November.
GS Paper II > India and its neighbourhood, bilateral relations; GS Paper I > Geography, passes of India
General Awareness > Geography and current affairs
General Knowledge > Borders, passes and India-China relations
General Awareness > Geography and current events
General Awareness > International relations and trade
A Himalayan pass in East Sikkim at about 4,545 metres, connecting India with Yadong in Tibet.
A border trade pass in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, where the Sutlej enters India.
A pass at the India-Nepal-China trijunction in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, and a designated trade point.
Limited, list-based trade conducted through designated frontier posts, distinct from ordinary import and export.
The county in Xigaze prefecture of Tibet on the Chinese side of Nathu La.