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New China-Nepal trade route to open soon as Tibet facility gets green light
- Lizi Port, located 4,600 metres above sea level, has passed an inspection by the commerce ministry
- Nechung has been built 12km away in Nepal and it will be the fourth trading channel along the border
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A new trading facility in a Tibetan village on the border with Nepal has been given the go-ahead, as China seeks to expand economic ties with its Himalayan neighbour.
Construction work on the Lizi Port – which sits at 4,600 metres (15,000ft) above sea level – has been completed and it passed an inspection by the commerce ministry on Tuesday, according to Chinese state media.
The inspection found that the facility is ready to start operations, the official China News Service reported.
It did not say when Lizi Port would open, but that it would “spur Tibet’s opening to the outside world, improve connectivity between China and Nepal, deepen China-Nepal friendly exchanges and cooperation, and promote high-quality economic and social development in Tibet”.
The facility has been built in the village of Lizi, in Yagra, Zhongba county in the Tibetan prefecture of Shigatse. It is some 935km (580 miles) from the Tibetan capital Lhasa, and 499km from Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.
Lizi sits on the Korala mountain pass and for centuries has been a market hub where Himalayan residents have traded grain, salt and goats.
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