In a move that has deeply unsettled Nepal, China and India have once again agreed to reopen trade through the Lipulekh border pass, a territory that lies squarely within Nepal’s sovereign boundaries. The agreement, announced in a joint communique following Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s two-day visit to New Delhi, makes explicit reference to Lipulekh, along with Sikkim’s Nathu La and Shipki La, as trade corridors to Tibet. Nowhere in this deal, however, is Nepal mentioned.

This omission is not just a diplomatic slight. It is a direct encroachment upon Nepal’s sovereignty. Lipulekh, along with the adjoining areas of Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, has long been recognized by Nepal as part of its territory. These lands sit at the trijunction of Nepal, India, and China. Yet, for decades, India has stationed troops there and constructed strategic roadways connecting to Tibet without Nepal’s consent. China, too, by signing bilateral agreements with India on Lipulekh, has effectively ignored Nepal’s rightful claim.

The pattern is clear. Two large neighbors are striking deals over land that does not belong to them. In 2015, when India and China first reached an understanding to develop trade through Lipulekh, Nepal lodged a strong protest. The current arrangement repeats the same disregard. Such actions reduce Nepal, a sovereign nation of nearly 30 million people, to a silent spectator in matters that directly undermine its territorial integrity.

The geography underscores the reality. Lipulekh is north of Nepal’s Darchula district. Just 17 kilometers west lies Limpiyadhura, the origin of the Kali River , the very river that defines Nepal’s western boundary under the 1816 Sugauli Treaty with the British East India Company. That treaty left no ambiguity: the lands east of the Kali River, including Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani, belong to Nepal. Successive maps and documents reinforce this claim. India’s continued presence there, and now China’s collusion in overlooking Nepal’s rights, is an affront to history, to law, and to Nepal’s dignity.

This agreement comes at a particularly sensitive time. Nepal’s Prime Minister is preparing to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be present. For Nepal, this raises pressing questions: Will its voice be heard? Will its sovereignty be respected? Or will Kathmandu once again be forced into issuing statements of protest while its territory is negotiated away behind closed doors?

It is unacceptable that two powerful neighbors treat Nepal’s land as their bargaining chip. International norms, good-neighborly conduct, and the principle of sovereign equality all demand that Nepal must be consulted before any trade, transit, or security arrangements are made in Lipulekh. Anything less amounts to erasure of Nepal’s sovereignty.

Nepal is not a buffer zone. It is not a pawn. It is an independent nation whose territorial boundaries are clear and internationally recognized. Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani belong to Nepal. India and China must respect that reality. Until they do, any agreement that sidelines Nepal is illegitimate, unjust, and unacceptable.

Will Oli Defend Nepal’s Map in Beijing and Delhi?