India and China Accelerate Border Trade Restoration Through Three Designated Routes

July 28, 2026

New Delhi, July 28: India and China are advancing efforts to resume border trade through the Lipulekh, Shipki La, and Nathu La passes. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced this development on Tuesday. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that both nations are implementing the agreement reached in August 2025.

During a weekly media briefing, Jaiswal highlighted that a joint press release issued on August 19, 2025, confirmed the agreement to restore border trade via the three designated routes.

“This decision was made at that time, and information about the discussions held then was shared. The subsequent processes are now being implemented in line with that understanding,” he said.

In August 2025, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi regarding the border dispute. Wang Yi also engaged in a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishankar and Wang Yi agreed to resume border trade through the Lipulekh, Shipki La, and Nathu La passes. Following this, high-level diplomatic contacts between the two countries have continued.

In this context, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hua Chunying during his current visit to Beijing. Both sides reviewed all aspects of India-China relations and discussed enhancing trade, economic cooperation, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people contacts.

Both nations also agreed that maintaining peace and stability in the India-China border areas is crucial for normalizing bilateral relations.

Earlier last week, Jaishankar and Wang Yi met during ASEAN meetings in Manila. They discussed peace in border areas, bilateral relations, and regional and global issues.

Jaishankar emphasized that peace and stability in border regions are the first and essential condition for normalizing India-China relations. He noted that both countries have been working towards this goal since October 2024 and stressed the need to continuously strengthen the relevant mechanisms.

The Ministry of External Affairs believes that restoring border trade could be a significant step towards rebuilding trust and revitalizing economic cooperation between the two nations.