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Chinese team to visit Nathu La

Special Correspondent

It may visit trade mart at Sherathang

KOLKATA: A delegation of officials from the Chinese Embassy in India is scheduled to visit Nathu La in east Sikkim on June 4 to study the prospects of increasing trade through the border.

The officials will be taking the route through Nathu La to enter the Tibet Autonomous Region where they will be spending a night before returning to Sikkim.

Border trade was resumed on May 1 and will continue till November, S.P. Subba, Sikkim's Director of Industries and Commerce, told The Hindu over telephone from Gangtok on Friday. The period of trade this year has been extended by two months.

Trade had continued for four months last year starting from June when the border route, which is part of the Old Silk Route, was re-opened after 44 years. Trade is now confined to small items with exchanges taking place between local traders as part of "confidence building" for the future, Mr. Subba said.

The delegation is expected to visit the trade mart at Sherathang near Nathu La and Yathung in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The officials would inspect the infrastructure available for trade on both sides of the border. They were also likely to meet representatives of the local trading bodies in Sikkim.

There has been a demand from local traders for an increase in the number of items exchanged. Presently, 29 items are being allowed for export and 15 for import as per an understanding.

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