India and China revive Himalayan trade at high-altitude pass

High in the eastern Himalayas, where yak caravans once carried silk and salt between empires, a border crossing closed by suspicion six years ago is stirring back to life.The Nathu La Pass, a remote border trading post connecting India’s Sikkim state with China’s Tibet region at 4,310 metres (14,140 feet) above sea level, reopened to commerce on Saturday for the first time since 2020.For the roughly 600 registered traders in Sikkim who used to depend on this ancient route, the reopening means a livelihood restored. For diplomats and analysts, it reflects a broader recalibration of ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.