Kathmandu, 23 Aug: It has been found that China has reached an agreement with India on cross-border trade through Lipulek, contrary to the “Boundary Protocol” with Nepal. According to foreign affairs experts, when the “Boundary Protocol” was renewed in 1988, China had recognized the Lipulek area as part of Nepal’s territory. However, without even informing Nepal, China and India have agreed to conduct trade through Lipulek.
Based on the 1960 Nepal-China Border Supervision Agreement and the 1961 Border Treaty, the two countries signed the ‘Boundary Protocol’ in 1962. The ‘Protocol’ was signed on behalf of Nepal by the then Foreign Minister Tulsi Giri.
Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, former Director General of the Survey Department, says that 79 large pillars have been installed to demarcate the border between the two countries based on the ‘protocol’. According to the protocol, the Nepal-China border is 1,414 km long.
According to Shrestha, the ‘protocol’ was renewed in 1979 and 1988. The first renewal was signed by the then Foreign Minister KB Shahi from Nepal. The second renewal was signed by Foreign Minister Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay from Nepal. ‘An 11-member team led by Upadhyay went to China to sign the protocol. ‘I was part of the team as the Director General of the Survey Department,’ said Shrestha.
Before the first renewal of the border protocol, then Prime Minister Kirtinidhi Bista visited China in 1978 and then King Birendra Shah in 1987. According to the records of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then Prime Minister BP Koirala visited China in 1960 before the Nepal-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
The next year, in 1961, during the visit of the then King Mahendra Shah to China, a border treaty was signed between the two countries. According to former Foreign Secretary and former Ambassador Madhurman Acharya, when the ‘Boundary Protocol’ was signed in 1988, China had accepted the territory including ‘Lipudhura’ as an integral part of Nepal.
This is the document that still exists regarding the ‘Boundary Protocol’ between Nepal and China. According to an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at that time, after the ‘Protocol’ was renewed, the Indian side had objected and protested through various channels.
Since then, the ‘protocol’ has not been renewed, whereas when the ‘protocol’ was prepared 63 years ago, it was said that issues related to international borders would be regularly reviewed and updated documents would be prepared. According to border experts, the ‘misunderstanding’ between the two countries, especially regarding the height of Mount Everest and the border pillar connected to Lamabagar in Dolakha, had been delaying the ‘periodic meeting’ on the ‘protocol’.
India has been occupying the Kalapani region of Nepal, a territory near Lipulekh, for decades by forcibly placing troops. In 2015, India and China also agreed to trade through Lipulekh to further strengthen this. At that time, the Nepalese government had sent a ‘diplomatic note’ to both countries expressing its objection. In response, China had expressed its intention to ‘provide facts and evidence in this regard and not to take any action that would undermine Nepal’s sovereignty’. India did not send a reply. Sushil Koirala was the Prime Minister at that time.
Former Director General of the Survey Department, Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, commented that India has been showing disdain towards Nepal in international border issues for a long time, and the Chinese side has also become its ally. He suggested that Nepal should put its case to the Chinese side through strong diplomatic channels in this regard. Shrestha told Kantipur, “Nepal needs to convey a strong message to both neighbors through diplomatic channels on this issue. It should be able to say that this is our territory, and that no unilateral action can be taken without our consent.”
