Kathmandu, Aug 22: Nepal is preparing to send diplomatic notes to both India and China objecting to their agreement to reopen trade through Lipulekh, a territory claimed by Nepal. The government aims to dispatch the notes before Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s upcoming visits to both countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been tasked with drafting them.

According to senior government sources, the notes will be sent separately to India and China, with some differences in wording and content. “The boundary dispute in Lipulekh is primarily with India. Nepal has long raised this issue formally and informally with New Delhi. In China’s case, we will only inform them about the dispute and its historical context, since China is not directly involved in the territorial disagreement, though it became a party to the trade deal with India,” one official informed.

Officials confirmed that preparations for the notes are nearly complete and they will be sent without delay. They also said PM Oli has taken serious note of the recent agreement between India and China, and emphasized that Nepal will put forward its position through dialogue and negotiations.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Kshetri did not give details but reiterated Nepal’s commitment to resolving the matter diplomatically. “The ministry already made its position clear on August 20, 2025. We remain committed to a diplomatic solution,” he told Onlinekhabar.

The controversy follows the announcement last Tuesday during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India. During meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, the two countries agreed to reopen trade through Lipulekh Pass. Later, India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed in a statement that both sides agreed to resume border trade through Lipulekh, Shipkila, and Nathu La passes.

The move sparked protests in Nepal, with the Foreign Ministry declaring the agreement invalid, stressing that Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani are integral parts of Nepal. Soon after, Indian MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed Nepal’s objection, saying Nepal’s claim was baseless.

Meanwhile, China’s Foreign Ministry released two separate notes on Wang’s visit. In its note on talks with Jaishankar, it mentioned only cooperation to facilitate trade and investment but did not refer to specific border passes. In contrast, its note on Wang’s meeting with Doval explicitly mentioned the agreement to reopen three traditional border trade markets: Renchinggang–Changgu, Pulan–Gunji, and Jiuba–Namgya.

People’s News Monitoring Service