Nepalese PM Oli raises India-China Lipulekh trade route issue with China’s Xi Jinping

Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Saturday raised an objection to an agreement reached between India and China to use Lipulekh as a trade route during a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin, according to his secretariat. Nepal claims Lipulekh as its own territory, a claim that India has categorically rejected as "neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence." "Prime Minister Oli, on the occasion, clearly raised its objection to the agreement reached between India and China to use Lipulekh, a Nepalese territory, as a trade route," the PM's secretariat said in a statement quoting Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai. “Nepal believes that China will cooperate with Nepal in this regard," the Prime Minister was quoted as saying in the statement.

However, China was silent on Nepalese Prime Minister Oli’s contentious objections. An official statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry made no reference to the issue. PM Oli's secretariat said that the two leaders also agreed to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation. "They also agreed to move forward the bilateral mechanism for enhancing bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries," the statement added. PM Oli expressed “hope on accelerating implementation of projects already agreed, including under the BRI, he requested support in such areas as fertiliser, petroleum, exploration, human resources, development, climate resilience and people-to-people connection,” a press release issued by the Nepalese Embassy in China said.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement said Xi, in his talks with Oli, pointed out that China-Nepal cooperation on the high-quality Belt and Road Initiative is steadily advancing, and the two peoples are becoming closer and closer. Xi stressed that the two sides should enhance strategic mutual trust and firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, the statement said. They should promote cooperation in industry, agriculture and animal husbandry, new energy, environmental protection, oil and gas, artificial intelligence, education, health, law enforcement, and security, he added. The statement quoted Oli as saying that Nepal-China relations have withstood various trials and tribulations and have grown stronger over time. The two sides have always respected and trusted each other and cared for each other's concerns. Cooperation with China has effectively promoted Nepal's economic and social development, it added.

Nepal firmly adheres to the one-China principle, resolutely opposes "Taiwan independence," and will not allow any force to use Nepali territory to harm China's interests, in an apparent reference to Kathmandu's crackdown on Tibetans crossing over to India to meet the Dalai Lama, it said. Oli reached Tianjin Saturday afternoon. He held a bilateral meeting with President Xi in the Guest House situated in Tianjin. Prime Minister Oli is accompanied by his spouse Radhika Shakya, Minister for Science and Education Raghuji Panta, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Pandey and other high-level government officials. He is on an official visit to China to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2025. He is also due to attend a military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.