India-China standoff casts shadow on Nathu La border trade

News: The tensions between India and China has affected trade along the Nathu La.

Facts:

• Nathu La: It is a mountain pass in the Himalayas connecting Sikkim with Chumbi Valley of the Tibetan Plateau in China.
• It is one of the three open trading border posts between China and India; the others being Shipkila in Himachal Pradesh and Lipulekh at the trisection point of Uttarakhand–India, Nepal and China.
• The pass was sealed by India after the 1962 Sino-Indian War.However, it was reopened in 2006 to shorten the travel distance to important Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the region and give a boost to Indo-China trade.
• It is also one of the five officially agreed Border Personnel Meeting points between the Indian and China for regular consultations and interactions between the two armies to improve relations.