[caption id="attachment_45733" align="alignnone" width="957"]File Photo File Photo[/caption] Kathmandu, 26 March: Export trade from Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi, two major trade ports with China, are completely closed. Movement of goods and services have  not been allowed  through the checkpoints towards China. It has been two and a half years since China did not allow Nepali businessmen to order goods. Hundreds of businessmen have quit their jobs after the checkpoints were closed in the name of Covid pandemic Most of those in business are importing goods from the Tarai border taking a long, long way by sea. The Tatopani checkpoint, which  once used to be bustling around the clock, is now wears a deserted look. It has been seven years that Nepal has been facing grave problem in exporting. Chines rationale  of  not internationalizing the border is earthquake, floods and landslides and pandemic but Nepalis are facing deep economic woos . The issue of operating additional checkpoints with China has always been raised but the two old checkpoints in operation have not been able to operate in a systematic and continuously. Even when India imposed an unannounced blockade on Nepal in 2015, the Tatopani checkpoint remained closed. The then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had signed a transit agreement with China in March 2016 to counter India in the wake of the blockade, but most of its provisions have not been implemented. The government has been spending hundreds of thousands of rupees on infrastructure as per the plan to open new checkpoints. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Nepal. Nepalis were optimistic that the trade and commerce between the two countries would move forward unhindered but it could not  yield any positive results. Foreign Minister Wang Yi has arrived in Nepal on Friday for a three-day visit, but problems that persisted for seven years remain. Not only the obstruction seen at the checkpoint, but also the impact on the people's lives at the border is equally painful. Those who have been making a living across the border for years have fled abroad for employment. Despite repeated requests from Nepal to facilitate the operation of the border with China, saying that they have problems, it has not been implemented. Still Nepalis are optimistic that this time around, China will understand Nepal's concern and address it without further delay. People's News Monitoring Service