Lipulekh Pass In Focus: Location, Significance As India-China Border Trade Is Set To Resume

India and China are all set to resume their border trade soon through Lipulekh Pass, which had been abruptly suspended in 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The pass has long been a focal point of attention, not only for its role in trade and pilgrimage but also as a flashpoint in the territorial dispute between India and Nepal.

A joint statement issued on Tuesday after wide-ranging talks in New Delhi between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed that both sides agreed to re-open border trade through the three designated trading points, namely Lipulekh Pass, Shipki La Pass and Nathu La Pass.

However, a day after the announcement, the Nepal government reiterated its claim over the Lipulekh region, calling it an inseparable part of its territory and highlighting that the area is already incorporated into Nepal's official map.

In response, the Ministry of External Affairs dismissed Kathmandu’s claims, saying they are "neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence".

The Lipulekh Pass, located at an altitude of about 17,000 feet in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, lies on the India-China-Nepal trijunction. It connects India’s Kumaon region with Tibet’s Taklakot and has historically served as a route for traders, travellers and pilgrims.

The pass serves as the shortest path for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a pilgrimage sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains.

Border trade through Lipulekh, suspended after the 1962 India-China War, was revived in 1992. The pass connects India to Tibet’s trading town of Taklakot (Purang), and the Pithoragarh–Lipulekh Highway now facilitates access for Indian pilgrims and traders.

The boundary dispute dates back to the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli, which set the Kali River as the India-Nepal boundary but left its origin undefined. India holds that the river begins at Kalapani village, while Nepal argues it starts further west at Limpiyadhura, placing Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura within its territory.

After India’s Independence in 1947, the boundary remained largely peaceful until China’s annexation of Tibet in 1950 and the subsequent Sino-Indian tensions brought new strategic focus to the Himalayan frontiers. India had established military posts in Kalapani since the 1962 Sino-Indian War.

Nepal's objections began prominently only in the late 20th century. But New Delhi has consistently maintained that the Lipulekh Pass lies within Indian territory and has been under its administration since the 1962 Sino-Indian War.

Tensions rose in 2015, when India and China agreed to expand trade through Lipulekh, to which Nepal objected, saying it was left out of a decision involving what it considers its own land. The dispute deepened in 2020 after India inaugurated a new road to Lipulekh, enabling faster access for pilgrims.

In response, Nepal triggered a border row by issuing a political map that showed Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh as part of the country. India had strongly trashed the claims and called it a 'unilateral act'.

In 2025, the Lipulekh pass serves as one of the authorised immigration check-posts for entry into and exit from India for pilgrims of the first Kailash Manasarovar Yatra since the Covid-19.

Today, Lipulekh remains both a strategic and cultural corridor and a sensitive flashpoint in India-Nepal ties.