(TibetanReview.net, Oct19’26) – The Tatopani crossing in Sindhupalchok is the most viable route for Nepal to conduct border trade with China through Tibet. However, despite intensified diplomatic efforts from Kathmandu, China remains unwilling to reopen it for regular border exchanges due mainly to its security concerns related to unsubstantiated allegations of Tibetan refugee movements and activities.
The border point has been opened only temporarily, for just three days, to facilitate the import of goods for the Dashain festival, reported english.nepalnews.com Oct 18. The festival is Nepal’s longest, grandest, and most important, and lasts 15 days and began on Oct 11 this year. It is celebrated to honour Goddess Durga and her victory over the demon Mahishasura.
Nepal intensified its diplomatic efforts to reopen the Tatopani border crossing with China after floods and landslides disrupted alternative trade routes, but Beijing has yet to commit to restoring regular operations, citing security concerns, logistical difficulties and recurring landslides, reported kathmandupost.com Oct 17.
The report cited Nepali officials familiar with border security as saying Chinese concerns about Tibetan refugees entering Nepal and possible anti-China activities along the frontier had also complicated efforts to resume trade through the Tatopani crossing.
Reopening the Tatopani crossing has become more urgent since the Aug 26 Bhotekoshi flood closed the Rasuwagadhi border point, Nepal’s major trade route with China through Tibet. But China is only offering assistance to restore Rasuwagadhi as the main trading point, although even this is bound to take a long time.
The Korala border crossing in Mustang, another alternative, also remains disrupted by floods and landslides, leaving goods ordered by traders stranded ahead of Dashain, Nepal’s most widely celebrated festival and the biggest shopping season of the year, the report said.
At a meeting on Oct 14 with Nepal’s Industry, Commerce and Supplies Minister Deepak Kumar Sah, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming indicated that Tatopani could be reopened for a short period to meet festival demand, but that its long-term operation would require a detailed assessment. The ambassador has mainly cited security challenges, while also referring to logistical problems and frequent landslides as additional complications.
Beijing’s wider concerns was stated to be its allegations of cross-border movement of Tibetan refugees along the Nepal-Tibet border.
The report noted that during the government led by the Nepal Communist Party, formed through the merger of the CPN-UML and the Maoists, the home ministry decided to stop deporting Tibetan refugees to India. It bears noting that this was a result of international pressure, especially from the United sates. It cited a former senior administrator who served as chief district officer in Sindhupalchok as saying Chinese officials continued to provide information about people crossing from Tibet, and Nepali authorities acted on some of those reports.
A former chief district officer in Sindhupalchok has recalled Chinese officials expressing concern over the alleged growing presence of followers of the Dalai Lama in border areas. However, investigations by Nepal Police and the National Investigation Department did not establish the scale of activity claimed by the Chinese side, the report noted.
“There may be people using the area as a transit point, but we did not find the kind of followers they described,” the former official has said, adding that subsequent administrative action had made such activity less likely.
Another former additional chief research director of the National Investigation Department has said the number of young Tibetans leaving their homes and coming to Nepal had declined as China had developed Tibet and sought to relocate settlements further inland, away from the border.
The report said that a few years ago, China had proposed forming a joint monitoring team with Nepal, comprising officials from the administration in Tibet and their counterparts in Sindhupalchok.
“The proposal was put forward as a way to coordinate responses to disasters and other issues, and it reached the home secretary through the relevant channel. The district security committee also endorsed it and forwarded it. But ultimately, the ministry didn’t approve it,” the report quoted the official as saying.
The report said that despite these concerns, officials and traders say the crossing’s economic importance warrants a fresh effort to reach an understanding with Beijing.
Tatopani was closed following the 2015 earthquake and reopened for limited cargo movement in May 2019. It was again closed during the Covid pandemic in 2020. Imports remained restricted largely to selected goods, while exports have struggled to resume meaningfully despite China permitting outbound trade in 2023. Before the earthquake, Nepal exported copper utensils, handicrafts, flour, noodles, eggs, vegetable ghee and medicinal herbs through the crossing, the report said.
The Araniko Highway, built in the 1960s, was stated to be Nepal’s principal road link with China through before the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung route opened in 2014. Repeated closures have since weakened Tatopani’s role, the report said.