In a historic step, India and China will resume border trade through the old Silk Route.
Border trade between India and China through the historic Nathu La Pass in East Sikkim will resume on August 1, after a gap of six years since the Covid pandemic.
The border trade via the Old Silk Route at Nathu La had initially reopened on July 06, 2006, amidst huge expectations of improving relations and trade between India and China. It was also expected to help in achieving economic prosperity in the areas surrounding the Nathula Pass in both countries. The border trade through the Nathu La Pass remains officially open for about six months every year, from May to November.
The resumption of trade will end a six-year suspension that affected traders and border communities in the region, especially Sikkim.
The Silk Road, also known as the Silk Route, was a historic network of trade routes that connected the East and West, facilitating the exchange of goods, culture, and ideas between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. It played a crucial role in the development of civilizations and the spread of various technologies, religions, and commodities across the continents. The Silk Road was not a single, defined route but rather a complex web of interconnected paths that traversed diverse landscapes, from deserts and mountains to plains and seas.
Sikkim’s Silk Route is an offshoot of an ancient trade path from Lhasa. It passes through Chumbi Valley, Nathula Pass, and ends at the port of Tamralipta (Tamluk in West Bengal). From Tamralipta, the route extends to sea destinations like Sri Lanka, Bali, Java, and the Far East.
India is already developing road and railway infrastructure, with the 45 km Sivok-Rangpo railway link nearing completion. There are plans to eventually extend the same line up to the Nathu La Pass. The Indian Railways has started the final location survey (FLS) for a proposed railway line linking Gangtok with Nathu La in Sikkim, which follows the completion of FLS for the Rangpo-Gangtok section.
Road connectivity is also being strengthened with the construction of the Rongli-Menla road which is a 93-kilometer highway project along National Highway 717B in East Sikkim spanning from Rongli Bazar to Menla near the Indo-Tibet border. It is being built by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
National Highway 717A is also being built to provide an alternative to National Highway 10, which faces frequent closures. The two-lane highway from Bagrakote to Pakyong (NH-717A) (152 km) in Sikkim will follow a separate alignment. Earlier this year, the Centre allocated a sum of ₹770 crore to widen and upgrade NH717A, reportedly for better connectivity to the China border in Sikkim.
In 2025, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a religious pilgrimage undertaken by the Hindus to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in the Tibetan autonomous region of China, resumed through the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim. While the boundary dispute remains unresolved along several areas in Sikkim, revival of trade at Nathu La is an important development when it comes to India-China ties.
