India-China border's Lipulekh Pass reopens after six years; Nepal renews territorial claim

At approximately 17,000 feet in the rarefied air of the Himalayas, the Lipulekh Pass serves as far more than a geographic notch in the landscape. It is a centuries-old artery of commerce, faith, and contested sovereignty linking the Indian state of Uttarakhand with Tibet. Closed since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent deterioration in India-China relations following the Galwan Valley clash, the pass has reopened for seasonal trade and the sacred Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

This resumption—announced earlier in 2026 and operationalized in late June with the first batches of traders crossing into Tibet’s Taklakot market—represents a modest yet symbolically potent step. For India, it revives historic connectivity and frontier economies; for China, it functions as a calibrated goodwill gesture amid broader diplomatic efforts to stabilize ties; and for Nepal, it reignites fervent assertions of territorial integrity over what Kathmandu views as encroached land. The episode underscores the enduring interplay of history, geography, and power politics in one of the world’s most sensitive trijunctions.

Reviving Lives and Livelihoods at the Edge

For the resilient communities of Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district, the reopening transcends geopolitics. Villages like Gunji, perched at over 10,500 feet, and Dharchula have long depended on trans-Himalayan trade. Traders from the Rung (Shauka) community historically traversed treacherous routes with mules and ponies, carrying jaggery, cereals, cotton, woolens, and other goods to Tibetan markets, returning with rock salt, borax, raw wool, carpets, and livestock. This seasonal rhythm—typically June to October—sustained families through harsh winters, blending commerce with deep cultural exchanges.

Lakshmi Gunjyal, a 40-year-old resident of Gunji, exemplifies this adaptation. After the border closure forced her out of the pashmina wool trade, she pivoted to homestays catering to pilgrims visiting Adi Kailash and Om Parvat. Her calculations reveal the economics at play: transporting a tonne of pashmina involved high costs in ponies, GST, and logistics, yet yielded vital profits. With the pass now accessible via improved Indian roads—vehicles reaching within hundreds of meters of the border—such ventures can resume, offering hope against outmigration and economic stagnation. Similarly, traders like Daulat Singh Raipa in Dharchula have replenished their stocks of cosmetics, jackets, and sweets, optimistic yet cautious about changes in market preferences after years of absence.

Infrastructure upgrades during the closure period, including the Tawaghat-Dharchula-Lipulekh road, have enhanced viability. Customs facilities in Gunji, godowns, and currency exchange points are ready, though challenges such as harsh weather and limited volumes persist.