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The China–Nepal border is the international boundary between the
Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions of Ü ...
of China and
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
. It is in length and runs in a northwest–southeast direction along the Himalayan mountain range, including
Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
, the world's highest mountain. The boundaries of this particular border have changed dramatically over time, especially when considering relatively recent events such as the Annexation of Tibet in 1949. However, some of the most significant developments of modern times would be the signing of the "''Agreement on Maintaining Friendly Relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Nepal''" in 1956 and the " Sino-Nepalese Treaty of Peace and Friendship" in 1960, both of which formally recognised Tibet as a part of China and confirmed the limits of the countries of China and Nepal as they are known today.


Description

The border starts in the west at the western tripoint with
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
near the Tinkar Pass in
Sudurpashchim Province Sudurpashchim Province ( ne, सुदूरपश्चिम प्रदेश, ''Sudurpashchim Province'') (''Far-West Province'') is one of the seven provinces established by the new constitution of Nepal which was adopted on 20 September ...
. It then proceeds south-east to the Urai Pass and then north-east, briefly utilising the
Karnali River Karnali may refer to: Places in Nepal * Karnali Bridge, a bridge over the Karnali River in Nepal * Karnali Highway, a vital transport link in Nepal *Karnali Province, a federal province in Nepal * Karnali River, a river in Nepal and India origina ...
, before turning to the south-east at the Lapche Pass. It then proceeds in that general direction over various mountains crests in the Himalayan range, including Mount Everest, Mount
Makalu Makalu ( ne, मकालु हिमाल, Makālu himāl; zh, t=馬卡魯峰, p=Mǎkǎlǔ fēng) is the fifth highest mountain in the world at . It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas southeast of Mount Everest, in Nepal. One of th ...
and Mount Salasungo, as passes such as the Manja, Thau, Marima, Pindu, Gyala, Lajing and Popti Passes. It terminates at the eastern tripoint with India on
Jongsong Peak Jongsong Peak ( Nepali: जोङ्सोङ् हिमाल) is a mountain in the ''Janak'' section of the Himalayas. At it is the 57th highest peak in the world, although it is dominated by 3rd highest, Kangchenjunga, to the south. Jongs ...
.


History

The border region has historically existed at the edges of various Nepali, Indian and Tibetan kingdoms. Cross-border trade between Nepalis and Tibetans has existed for centuries, for example in
wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. A ...
,
tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and norther ...
,
spices A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices ar ...
and
salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantiti ...
. Though various Nepali-Tibetan treaties were signed in the 18th-19th centuries, these concerned the ownership of often vaguely-defined territories rather than with delimiting a precise boundary. In 1950-51 China annexed Tibet, and thereby inherited the somewhat confused situation along the boundary. On 21 March 1960 a border treaty was signed which recognised the "traditional customary line" and created a joint boundary commission to delimit a more precise border. Having completed their work, a final boundary treaty was signed on 5 October 1961. The border was then demarcated on the ground with pillars, and a final protocol signed on 23 January 1963.


Humla border dispute

The western China–Nepal–India tripoint is disputed between Nepal and India since 1990s as part of Kalapani territory. In 2015, the Nepalese parliament objected to the agreement between India and China to trade through Lipulekh stating that 'it violates Nepal's sovereign rights over the disputed territory'. After Indian prime minister
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
's visit to China in 2015, India and China agreed to open a trading post in Lipulekh, raising objections from Nepal. In November 2020, Nepali politicians claimed China had annexed more than 150 hectares of Nepal land. The Nepali government in September 2021 formed a team under Home Ministry Joint Secretary Jaya Narayan Acharya to study dispute in
Limi Limi Valley is a high-altitude valley that forms the northernmost part of the Humla District of north-western Nepal. To its north, the Limi valley borders the Purang County of Tibet, China. Administrative Limi is a ward council of the Namkha r ...
of Namkha Rural Municipality of
Humla Humla District ( ne, हुम्ला जिल्ला), a part of Karnali Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Simikot as its district headquarters, covers an area of and has population of 50,858 a ...
. The committee comprised Deputy Director General of the Survey Department Sushil Dangol, Senior Superintendent of Nepal Police Umesh Raj Joshi, Senior Superintendent of Armed Police Force Pradip Kumar Pal, Joint Director of National Investigation Department Kishor Kumar Shrestha and Home Ministry Secretary Acharya. This team submitted its report on 26 September which brought the conclusion of claim being truth. It suggested making a joint force for dispute resolution. In addition, NC Karnali Provincial Assembly party and former minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi lead team had submitted report on same asking to bring back Nepalese land. This matter was raised and supported by NC vice-president and former
Home minister The Minister of Home Affairs (or simply, the Home Minister, short-form HM) is the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. One of the senior-most officers in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Home Minis ...
Bimalendra Nidhi who was Deputy Prime minister in
Second Dahal cabinet On 4 August 2016, Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre) was elected as the Prime Minister of Nepal. His candidacy was supported by the Nepali Congress, and several small parties represented in the Nepalese Parliament a ...
. In early 2022, a Nepali government report was leaked. The report indicated the previously alleged buildings were on Chinese side, but found that China has built fences, a canal, and a road that encroached on Nepali soil.


Border crossings

In 2012, Nepal and China agreed to open new
ports of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internatio ...
, to a total of six official ports. Three of the ports are designated as international ports, while three others are only designated for bilateral trade. The border crossing between
Zhangmu Zhangmu (also from Tibetan as Dram or Zham, from Nepali as Khasa) is a customs town and port of entry located in Nyalam County on the Nepal-China border, just uphill and across the Bhote Koshi River from the Nepalese town of Kodari. At above ...
and
Kodari Kodari is a small village located at the border with Tibet-China. The village is located at the end–point of the Arniko Highway, which connects Kodari with the capital city of Kathmandu. Kathmandu is away from Kodari. Kodari is a major border c ...
on the Friendship Highway has been in operation since 1968. In 2014, the border crossing at Rasuwa Fort (Rasuwagadhi) was opened for commerce and then for foreign nationals from 2017. In addition, this border crossing is being considered for a future rail crossing between the two countries. Other crossings, like the one at Burang-
Hilsa The ilish (''Tenualosa ilisha'') ( bn, ইলিশ, translit=iliś; also known as the ilishi, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food ...
near the western tripoint, while not widely accessible have been used for local trade between China and Nepal for many years. Some of those crossings have become so important for local trade that in 2008, when Chinese tightened its border control during the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, villages like Kimathanka faced food shortages due to disruption of local trade. Historically, there are even more border crossings. The crossing at Korala between
Upper Mustang Upper Mustang (formerly Kingdom of Lo) is an upper part (Northern area) of Mustang District, which is located in Nepal. The ''Upper Mustang'' was a restricted kingdom until 1992 which makes it one of the most preserved regions in the world, with ...
and
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...
for example was a major salt trade route, however it was closed due to Tibetan guerrilla activity in the 1960s. It remains closed for most of the year to this day, except when opening for limited local trade during the semi-annual cross-border trade fairs.


Galleries

Historical maps of the border from west to east in the
International Map of the World The International Map of the World or IMW (also called the Millionth Map of the World, after its scale of 1:1 000 000) was a project to create a complete map of the world according to internationally agreed standards. It was first proposed by th ...
and Operational Navigation Chart, middle/late 20th century: File:Txu-oclc-6654394-nh-44-6th-ed.jpg, File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-6654394-tsangpo-nh-45.jpg, File:Txu-oclc-6654394-ng-45-8th-ed.jpg, File:Operational Navigation Chart H-9, 7th edition.jpg,


See also

* China-Nepal relations


References


Further reading

*


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:China-Nepal border Borders of China Borders of Nepal International borders