Nathu La Pass:
Border trade via Nathu La Pass, which had remained suspended for six years due to Covid-19 pandemic and India-China border tensions, resumed recently.
- Nathu La Pass is a mountain pass in the Himalayas in Sikkim.
- It connects the Indian state of Sikkim with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
- The pass forms a part of an offshoot of the ancient Silk Road.
- It is one of the highest motorable roads in the world.
- It is guarded on both sides by Chinese and Indian soldiers.
- It is one of the three open trading border posts between India and China; the other two are in Himachal Pradesh (Shipkila) and Uttarakhand (Lipulekh).
- Sealed by India after the 1962 Sino-Indian War, Nathu La was reopened in 2006 following numerous bilateral trade agreements.
- Traded items are limited and include silk, clothes, and yak hair and tail.
- Only citizens of India can visit the pass, and then only after obtaining a permit in Gangtok.
