KATHMANDU, Aug 24: Nepal has sent separate diplomatic notes to India and China, expressing concerns over their trade agreement that uses Nepali territory in Lipulekh without Nepal’s consent. The notes were sent on August 21.
The government wrote to India that the matter should be resolved through established mechanisms and stated that the agreement was concluded without Nepal’s approval. To China, Nepal reminded that Lipulekh belongs to Nepal and emphasized that it does not consent to the current agreement.
Highly-placed government sources said the diplomatic notes were dispatched on August 21. A source clarified, “This is a diplomatic note, not a protest note. A protest or objection note would follow only if there is no response. For now, we have informed them that we do not consent to the agreement.”
Talk at the top level
The government has not made the matter public. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to visit both China and India later this month. Officials added, “Nepal had earlier informed China that Lipulekh is our territory and requested China’s position. We have reiterated that stance and urged both countries to recognize Lipulekh as part of Nepal, in line with our position on boundary issues.”
Regarding India, Nepal highlighted that any resolution should follow established bilateral practices. The diplomatic note also referenced a previous 2015 note sent to China.
In 2015, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China, an agreement was made to open the Lipulekh route. Nepal had sent a diplomatic note expressing its concerns at that time. Subsequently, India continued developing trade routes through Nepali territory. On November 2, 2019, India included Nepal’s Kalapani area in its map, prompting Nepal to raise objections. In April 2020, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the route via Lipulekh to China’s Mansarovar. Nepal then summoned the Indian ambassador and delivered a diplomatic note on May 11, 2020.
On May 20, 2020, Nepal released an updated map including Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani. After China’s map released on September 1, 2023 showed Lipulekh as part of India, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement emphasizing that Nepal’s map should be respected by neighboring and international communities.
