A train departs from Haidong in Qinghai Province on December 15, 2021 for Xigaze in China's Xizang Autonomous Region. Commodities onboard will have to be moved onto trucks on the China-Nepal border for further delivery to Nepal. Photo:cnsphoto
China and Nepal on Saturday reopened traditional border trade points after four years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a move to further deepen bilateral trade and benefit the livelihoods of people living in the border areas, an expert said on Sunday.
The reopening ceremony took place in Zhentang township in Xigaze, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Saturday. Trade also resumed at other traditional sites in counties such as Zhongba, Saga, Gyirong and Nyalam, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.
Some 110 Chinese merchants and 47 Nepalese merchants engaged in trade transactions on Saturday, involving more than 50 types of goods, including daily necessities, building materials, food and beverages, agricultural products and Nepalese handicrafts, per Xinhua.
China transported anti-pandemic materials and daily necessities to Nepal via ports through one-way trade during the pandemic, and the reopening of the traditional trade ports will be conducive to promoting bilateral economic exchanges, Liu Zongyi, director of the Center for South Asia Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday.
Liu said that China mostly exports manufactured goods to Nepal while importing raw materials as well as agricultural and livestock products.
For instance, Nepal's exports to Xizang include major life necessities for local residents, which is beneficial for advancing the local development of agriculture and livestock husbandry, Liu noted.
A truck from Nepal passes through the Gyirong Port on the China-Nepal border. Photo: Xinhua
Traditional border trade activities are an important platform to ensure the supply of production and living materials to border residents in both China and Nepal, while promoting the prosperity and development of the border areas. In April, the Xizang local government released trial management measures to regulate border trade and strengthen non-governmental exchanges with Nepal."We plan to continuously improve border trade infrastructure and promote further economic and trade exchanges between China and Nepal," said Feng Xuecheng, director of the Xigaze city commerce bureau, on Saturday.
As a pivotal city for China's opening-up to South Asia, Xigaze borders India, Nepal and Bhutan, and hosts five trade land ports.
Xizang's total trade with Nepal, its largest trading partner, totaled 2.77 billion yuan ($389.53 million) in 2023, up 77.2 percent year-on-year, according to the customs bureau in Lhasa, Xizang's regional capital city.
家周日表示，中国和尼泊尔周六重新开放了因新冠肺炎疫情而暂停四年的传统边境贸易点，此举旨在进一步深化双边贸易，造福边境地区人民的生计。重新开放仪式周六在中国西南部西藏自治区日喀则市镇塘乡举行。
新华社周日报道称，仲巴、萨嘎、吉隆和聂拉木等县的其他传统贸易口岸也恢复了贸易。据新华社报道，周六，约有 110 名中国商人和 47 名尼泊尔商人开展贸易交易，涉及 50 多种商品，包括日用品、建筑材料、食品饮料、农产品和尼泊尔手工艺品
。
上海国际问题研究院南亚研究中心主任刘宗义周日对《环球时报》表示，疫情期间，中国通过口岸单向贸易向尼泊尔运输抗疫物资和生活必需品，传统贸易口岸的重新开放将有利于促进双边经济交流。刘宗义说，中国对尼泊尔出口的主要是制成品，进口的也有原材料和农畜产品。例如，尼泊尔对西藏的出口包括当地居民的主要生活必需品，这有利于促进当地农牧业发展。一辆来自尼泊尔的卡车驶过中尼边境吉隆口岸。
传统的边境贸易活动是保障中尼两国边民生产生活物资供应，促进边境地区繁荣发展的重要平台。今年4月，西藏地方政府出台了规范边境贸易、加强与尼泊尔民间交流的试行管理办法。“我们计划不断完善边境贸易基础设施，促进中尼经贸往来。”日喀则市商务局局长冯学成周六表示。日喀则作为中国面向南亚开放的枢纽城市，与印度、尼泊尔、不丹接壤，拥有5个贸易陆路口岸。据西藏自治区首府拉萨海关统计，2023年，西藏与最大贸易伙伴尼泊尔的贸易总额为27.7亿元人民币（3.8953亿美元），同比增长77.2%。
