Tatopani, Sindhupalchowk: After eight years and five months, the northern Tatopani border has been opened for the general public starting from Friday. The border checkpoint connecting Nepal’s Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2 to China has allowed 30 locals from the Bhotekoshi region to enter the Chinese territory, facilitating human movement and trade. The official inauguration of the border checkpoint took place this morning.

According to the Immigration Office in Kodari, the entry pass for the Chinese territory has been issued by the Immigration Office in Kodari until Friday, with a total of 227 passes being issued. Ramesh Neupane, the Chief District Officer of Sindhupalchowk, stated that people from within a 30-kilometer range of the border checkpoint in the region will now be able to travel to the ‘Mitre Pul’ (Friendship bridge) border area, which is about 30 kilometers from the border.

Once the Chinese border is accessible, the locals are visibly delighted. They will rely heavily on trade, with 15 garment stores, 5 hardware stores, and 5 general stores in operation in the Lipingpari region alone. People will be able to visit these stores to buy clothes and household items.

“We have just started, but we are allowing entry for a limited number of people. Once we rebuild the destroyed infrastructure and facilities, Nepali tourists will be able to go directly to Nyalam from the Liping checkpoint,” said Chief of the Immigration Office Ravindra Pokharel.

Nyalam Bazaar is about 30 kilometers from the border. Until now, this border was opened for export on April 18, 2020 (Baisakh 18, 2076) after an import-export operation on June 3, 2019 (Jeth 18, 2076). Meetings were held among Nepali and Chinese officials regarding the operation of the border checkpoints, involving representatives from Lhasa, Kathmandu, and Simana Liping. The Kodari road, which links Nepal and China, is in poor condition due to earthquakes and floods. The border was irregular for nearly three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nepali government has maintained diplomatic dialogue with the Chinese government regarding the Tatopani border. Even from Tatopani to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet, all of the officials have continued their diplomatic exchanges with the Chinese government through the government of Nepal. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda is expected to discuss this during his upcoming visit to China in the last week of September.

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