INDIA: Nuclear rivals India and China opened a Himalayan border pass to trade yesterday, 44 years after a bitter war closed the ancient Silk Road route.
The pass, which links Tibet with India's northeastern Sikkim state, was part of the complex network of roads that once connected China to Europe through India and west Asia.
As local music from both sides of the border played through the chilly mist, Indians and Tibetans in traditional costumes joined the festive atmosphere, crossing over the 14,000ft-high Nathu La pass - or the pass of the listening ear - to share bread, sweets and tea.
Despite the poor weather, there was no shortage of enthusiasm as businessmen crossed the border post to visit newly built markets on either side.
"Today is an historic day," Pawan Chamling, Sikkim's chief minister said, adding that a link which began centuries ago was being re-established. "The formal re-opening of this trade route will be a win-win situation for both countries," he added.
The trade route was closed after India and China fought a bitter war in 1962 over a border dispute that remains unresolved.
While they have agreed to resolve their border rows politically, talks for more than a decade have made little or no progress and much of their 4,000km-plus frontier remains disputed. Bilateral trade, however, soared to $18.7 billion (€14.65 billion) in 2005, a 37.5 per cent jump over the previous year, after diplomatic and military relations between Delhi and Beijing improved. This year, trade is expected to reach $22-$23 billion.
But the opening of the border post is more symbolic than substantive, with trade confined to 44 local goods. India will import 15 items from China, such as goat and sheep skins, yak tails and silk. China will buy 29 Indian items including tea, rice and spices.