13. Aug 2006
China disappointed by Nathu La trade
(The Hindu) A month after trading formally re-started across the Nathu La pass linking Sikkim and the TAR, Chinese authorities have expressed disappointment at the "low levels" of trade taking place. According to Xinhua, Deputy Chairman of the TAR Hao Peng has blamed the Indian side, citing a series of restrictions that New Delhi has imposed on the number of items that are permitted to be traded. "India has unilaterally imposed restrictions on trade through Nathu La", Xinhua quoted Mr. Hao as saying. Mr. Hao was also quoted as saying that he was disappointed by the fact that trade at Renqinggang market, set up on the Tibetan side of the border, is currently worth less than RMB 100,000 (UK£6,643; $12,500; EUR€9,745) a week. Tibetan authorities earlier expressed the hope that trade through Nathu La could eventually make up 10 per cent of the overall bilateral trade. Given that bilateral trade reached $18.73 billion (UK£9.95bn; EUR€14.6bn) last year, this is a considerable target.