Recently, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been invited to visit India, where he met with Indian Prime Minister Modi, held talks with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, and jointly attended the 24th meeting of special envoys on the China-India border issue with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit yielded fruitful results, with both sides reaching a consensus on restarting dialogue mechanisms in various fields and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, and also achieving new consensus on the border issue.

Notably, during this diplomatic interaction between China and India, both sides reached an unusual consensus:

Agreeing to restart border trade through three points: Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh, and Nathu La Pass in Sikkim.

However, unexpectedly, shortly after Foreign Minister Wang Yi left India, another neighbor of China, Nepal, came forward to express its opposition.

It turned out that the Nepalese government stated on Wednesday that it opposed the move because it considers Lipulekh Pass as part of its territory, and on the official map of Nepal, Lipulekh Pass is marked as "an inseparable part of Nepal."

This reason for opposition is indeed surprising, as Lipulekh Pass holds a special position in China-India border trade, and the two countries have conducted trade through this pass for many years.

Regarding Nepal's "protest," the spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishwal, quickly responded, stating that the opposition is invalid.

He emphasized that the border trade through Lipulekh Pass between China and India began in 1954 and lasted for several decades, and any unilateral attempt to expand territorial claims is unacceptable. He also stated that India is willing to resolve boundary issues with Nepal through dialogue and diplomatic means.

Nepal's recent protest likely centers around the issue of the ownership of Lipulekh Pass, which Nepal sees as part of its territory.

Moreover, Nepal and India have had a number of historical disputes over their border, and Lipulekh Pass is just one of them.

Previously, the two sides had friction over similar territorial issues, and this time, Nepal is using the opportunity of the China-India trade to clearly state its position and does not want to make concessions on territorial sovereignty.

Going deeper, the location of Lipulekh Pass is too significant, situated at the trijunction of China, India, and Nepal, and it has considerable strategic and economic value.

Nepal, as an inland country, has long been constrained geographically and economically dependent on India. In recent years, it has tried to broaden cooperation channels and deepen cooperation with China.

Nepal probably fears that the resumption of China-India border trade, especially the reopening of trade through Lipulekh Pass, will further strengthen India's economic dominance in the region, making itself more passive in terms of economy and geopolitics.

Knowing that in South Asia, India has always considered itself the "big brother" and tries to maintain its dominance over the foreign policy and economic choices of neighboring countries.

India views Nepal as its sphere of influence and is very sensitive to Nepal's cooperation with other countries, especially with China.

Nepal's deepening cooperation with China, whether in the energy sector helping Nepal reduce its dependence on Indian oil or infrastructure construction, has made India vigilant.

And this time, Nepal's opposition to the resumption of China-India border trade is seen by India as a challenge to its regional authority.

Incidentally, for India, the resumption of border trade is of great significance. According to analysts, the economies of the mountainous areas in northeastern India have suffered serious damage due to the interruption of China-India border trade, with local wool, herbs, and other specialties being heavily stockpiled.

The resumption of border trade is crucial for the economic development of the northeastern region of India, so India naturally would not easily abandon this plan due to Nepal's opposition.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7541139598743699983/

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