Nepal’s Protest Against the India–China Agreement for 26 Years
For many years, Nepal has been protesting the agreements made between India and China regarding the Lipulekh area. Whenever these two countries signed agreements, Nepal raised objections, but no solution has been reached. Nepal and India even formed different committees and commissions to solve the border disputes in Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura, but most of them could not hold more than one meeting. Despite repeated protests from Nepal, neither India nor China has paid serious attention.
India–China Agreements and Nepal’s Objections
Recently, India and China agreed to use the Lipulekh border for trade. Nepal strongly objected, but India dismissed Nepal’s concerns, calling them irrelevant. Border expert Buddhi Narayan Shrestha believes that Nepal’s weakness lies in only sending a note of protest and then remaining silent, instead of taking stronger actions.
Written agreements between India and China on Lipulekh can be traced back to 1954. India claims that trade through Lipulekh Pass with China has been happening since then, but Nepal only started objecting from 1999. During Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh’s visit to China that year, an agreement was signed to use Lipulekh as a joint trade route. The news created huge protests in Nepal. At that time, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal, Tang Songyang, publicly said that Kalapani belonged to Nepal and Lipulekh was a tri-junction point. This became a big issue in Nepali media.
Renewed Agreements and Nepal’s Weak Response
In 2005, India and China again signed a 12-point agreement to expand border meeting points, including Lipulekh. Nepal sent diplomatic notes to both countries. China responded that Kalapani was not included in their agreement, but India did not reply at all. Similarly, in 2014, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India, both countries agreed to open a new route through Lipulekh for Indian pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar. Nepal, however, remained silent.
In 2015, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China, another Lipulekh agreement was signed, sparking strong protests in Nepal. Then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala sent diplomatic notes to both countries. China replied, but India ignored it. Koirala even canceled his planned visit to India. Later, India included Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura in its map and even inaugurated a road in the disputed area.
Nepal’s Counteractions and Strained Relations
After this, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli responded by publishing Nepal’s new map, officially including Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura. This move upset India, which argued that disputes should be resolved through dialogue. When Nepal passed the new map in Parliament, India expressed strong dissatisfaction, which created tension in bilateral relations. Later, during Oli’s visit to India, the issue was not even raised. Similarly, none of Nepal’s later prime ministers raised the matter during their India visits.
More Agreements Without Nepal’s Involvement
In December 2024, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited China, and both sides agreed again to restart the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route through Lipulekh. Nepal remained silent at the government level, though media outlets covered the issue. In August 2024, another 12-point agreement between India and China specifically mentioned border trade through Lipulekh. Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by saying that according to the Constitution, Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani are integral parts of Nepal. It urged India not to build roads or conduct trade activities in the area. However, India claimed that trade through Lipulekh with China has been ongoing since 1954 and dismissed Nepal’s objections as baseless.
Historical Evidence and the Sugauli Treaty
Border expert Shrestha points out that Lipulekh has historically been a trade route between Nepal and Tibet. Limpiyadhura is also significant, situated at an altitude of 5532 meters. He explains that even old British maps after the Sugauli Treaty of 1816 show these regions as Nepali territory. The treaty had declared the Mahakali River as the boundary, with land west of it ceded to British India. Old maps in the Library of Congress in Washington DC and the British Library in London also confirm that Limpiyadhura belongs to Nepal. Even ancient Chinese maps from 1903 show the river originating from Limpiyadhura as the border, marking the land east of it as Nepal. But due to weak diplomacy, Nepal has not been able to secure this territory.
Ongoing Protests Without Results
Since the time of the Rana rulers and kings, Nepal has been protesting India–China agreements on Lipulekh. Even after multiparty democracy and the republic, protests have continued. But experts say protests alone are meaningless without serious diplomatic efforts. Both India and China see Lipulekh as a strategic and short trade route, which is why they continue to use it, while Nepal only raises objections without concrete follow-up.
Unresolved Border Talks
When Modi visited Nepal in 2014, both sides agreed to resolve border disputes. A joint commission led by Nepal’s Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey and India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj assigned a technical team to study the issue. Although the team held meetings, discussions about Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura never took place. Committees continue to meet occasionally, but the most sensitive issues are left untouched.
