BEIJING: China and Nepal on Saturday reopened their traditional border trade points that have “supported livelihoods” and played a “significant role” in fostering the development and prosperity of border areas.
The development comes two months after Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha urged China to reopen the 14 traditional border points with the Tibetan Autonomous Region not just for bilateral trade and commerce but for the movement of people too.
The reopening ceremony on Saturday took place in Zhentang township on the China-Nepal border in the city of Xigaze — in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region — a pivotal city for China’s opening-up to South Asia, bordering India, Nepal and Bhutan, and hosting five trade land ports, state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Feng Xuecheng, director of the municipal commerce bureau, said that traditional border trade has long supported the livelihoods of border residents and played a significant role in fostering the development and prosperity of border areas. “We plan to continously improve border trade infrastructure and promote further economic and trade exchanges between China and Nepal,” Feng was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
At the Zhentang trade point, 110 Chinese merchants and 47 Nepalese merchants engaged in transactions involving over 50 types of goods, including daily necessities, building materials, food and beverages, agricultural products and Nepalese handicrafts.
Trade activities also resumed at other traditional sites in counties such as Zhongba, Saga, Gyirong and Nyalam, the report said.
Earlier on March 29, during his first visit to China from March 25 to April 1 was in Lhasa, when he underscored the importance of exporting products from Nepal during a meeting with Wang Junzheng, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee.
Nepal officials in Lhasa had then said that Shrestha, during the meeting, reiterated the need for reopening of traditional border points for the promotion of trade and commerce as well as facilitating the movement of people.
