Himachal Pradesh: Traders demand resumption of trade with China through Shipki-La border

Rampur (Shimla), Nov 13 (PTI) The resumption of trade with China through Shipki-La border in Himachal's Kinnaur district would boost the sale of traditional items, generate employment, and benefit traders on both sides, traders from Himachal Pradesh said on Thursday.

They were attending the International Lavi Trade Fair in the Shimla district's Rampur, about 130 kilometres from the state capital.

Traders, especially from Kinnaur, are keen on the resumption of the trade route, which was discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“The sale of traditional items like woollens, Pasham (wool), and dry fruits saw a boost then, as Chinese goods would be sold in Rampur, and our goods would be sold to traders from Tibet,” Chander Mohan Negi, a trader from Kinnaur’s Nichar, said.

Another trader from Kalpa in Kinnaur, Dharam Pal Negi, also said the resumption of trade would benefit traders from both sides. "We want the trade to be resumed so that the traditional items can be exchanged and goods arrive in greater quantity,” he said.

Inaugurating the Lavi fair on Tuesday, Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla had said that he — as well as the state government — had taken up the matter with the Centre, and it was being pursued by Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goel.

The traders from Kinnaur, who have been coming to the trade fair for the past 25-30 years, expressed concern over the impact of online sales on their business. Additionally, the closure of the trade route is gradually affecting the trade fair’s vibrancy, they said.

A large number of items, including wool, raw silk, yak hair, China clay, borax, butter, common salt, ready-made garments, shoes, quilts, blankets, carpets, and local herbal medicines, as well as animals such as horses, goats, sheep, were earlier imported from China, and drew people to buy these goods, according to traders.

Notably, the Lavi fair, a nearly 300-year-old international event, was an outcome of the treaty between the state of Bushahr and Tibet during the regime of Raja Kehar Singh and remains devoid of any religious or ritualistic legend. The pact was solidified by the exchange of Tibetan horses and Bushahr swords.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh had earlier emphasised that Shipki-La, once an offshoot of the legendary Silk Route and formalised as a border trade point under the Indo-China bilateral agreement of 1994, played a vital role in trans-Himalayan economic and cultural exchanges.

On June 10, the chief minister launched tourism activities from Shipki La on the Indo-Tibet Border, located at an altitude of 3,930 meters.

In August, the Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had informed the state government that the Government of India had initiated discussions with China for the resumption of border trade through all three designated points: Shipki-La (Himachal Pradesh), Lipulekh (Uttarakhand), and Nathu La (Sikkim). PTI BPL PRK PRK