Goods worth billions stuck in China due to lack of commercial negotiations

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s exports and imports through the Nepal-China border checkpoints have come to a grinding halt due to the lack of commercial negotiations with the northern neighbor.

With the Dashain festival just around the corner, daily essential goods worth billions of rupees have been stuck in China since Kerung of Rasuwa, Tatopani of Sindhupalchowk, Mustang and Gorkha checkpoints have been closed.

Rasuwa checkpoint has opened only for two times in the last eight months. The checkpoint which resumed on last Wednesday has remained shut again due to a landslide on the China side.

The China government seems reluctant to resume border checkpoints after the number of coronavirus cases spiked in Nepal, of late.

Failure to bring goods from China due to the border closure has seriously hit the people in general to the national economy.

“We will resume Nepal-China border checkpoints through commercial negotiations.  We are holding commercial negotiations with China soon,” said Baikuntha Aryal, the Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies.

He added that some goods stuck in China have entered Nepal in the last few days.

As many as 1,200 container vans loaded with essential goods including fancy items have been stuck in China due to the lack of arrangement of health precautionary measures, informed Aryal.

Information Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Suresh Adhikari said the talks are being held at the diplomatic level to resume border checkpoints.