
The China–Nepal border is the
international boundary
Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...
between the
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), often shortened to Tibet in English or Xizang in Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China. It was established in 1965 to replace the ...
of the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China ...
. It is in length and runs in a northwest–southeast direction along the
Himalayan mountain range, including
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...
, the world's highest mountain. The boundaries of this particular border have changed dramatically over time, especially when considering relatively recent events such as the
Annexation of Tibet in 1949. However, some of the most significant developments of modern times would be the signing of the "''Agreement on Maintaining Friendly Relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Nepal''" in 1956 and the "
Sino-Nepalese Treaty of Peace and Friendship
The Sino-Nepalese Treaty of Peace and Friendship was an official settlement between the governments of Nepal and China signed on 28 April 1960, which ratified an earlier agreement on the borders separating the neighboring nations from each other. ...
" in 1960, both of which formally recognised Tibet as a part of China and confirmed the limits of the countries of China and Nepal as they are known today.
Description

The border starts in the west at the western tripoint with
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
near the
Tinkar Pass in
Sudurpashchim Province
Sudurpashchim Province () is one of the seven Provinces of Nepal, provinces established by the Constitution of Nepal, new constitution of Nepal which was adopted on 20 September 2015. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north, ...
. It then proceeds south-east to the Urai Pass and then north-east, briefly utilising the
Karnali River Karnali may refer to:
Places in Nepal
* Karnali Bridge, a bridge over the Karnali River in Nepal
* Karnali Highway, a vital transport link in Nepal
* Karnali Province, a federal province in Nepal
* Karnali River also known as Ghaghara and Sarayu, ...
, before turning to the south-east at the Lapche Pass. It then proceeds in that general direction over various mountains crests in the Himalayan range, including Mount Everest, Mount
Makalu
Makalu (; ) is the fifth-highest mountain on Earth, with a summit at an elevation of AMSL. It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas southeast of Mount Everest, on the China–Nepal border. One of the eight-thousanders, Makalu is an isolat ...
and Mount
Salasungo, as passes such as the Manja, Thau, Marima, Pindu, Gyala, Lajing and Popti Passes.
It terminates at the eastern tripoint with India on
Jongsong Peak
Jongsong Peak is a mountain in the ''Janak'' section of the Himalayas. At it is the 57th highest peak in the world, although it is dominated by the 3rd highest, Kangchenjunga, to the south. Jongsong's summit is on tripoint of India, Nepal an ...
.
History
The border region has historically existed at the edges of various Nepali, Indian and Tibetan kingdoms.
Cross-border trade between Nepalis and Tibetans has existed for centuries, for example in
wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...
,
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
,
spices
In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...
and
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
.
Though various Nepali-Tibetan treaties were signed in the 18th-19th centuries, these concerned the ownership of often vaguely-defined territories rather than with delimiting a precise boundary.
In 1950–51, the
People's Republic of China annexed Tibet, and thereby inherited the somewhat confused situation along the boundary. On 21 March 1960 a border treaty was signed which recognised the "traditional customary line" and created a joint boundary commission to delimit a more precise border.
Having completed their work, a final boundary treaty was signed on 5 October 1961.
The border was then demarcated on the ground with pillars, and a final protocol signed on 23 January 1963.
The government of Nepal tends to deny or downplay any territorial disputes with China for fear of losing economic favors.
In 2021, the Nepali government documented border infringements by China by subsequently censored the report.
Kalapani Border Disputes
The western China–Nepal–India tripoint is disputed between Nepal and India since 1990s as part of
Kalapani territory
The Kalapani territory is an area under Indian administration as part of Pithoragarh district in the Kumaon Division of the Uttarakhand state,
K. C. SharadKalapani's new 'line of control' Nepali Times, 10 September 2004, p. 6
but it is al ...
. In 2015, the Nepalese parliament objected to the agreement between India and China to trade through
Lipulekh stating that 'it violates Nepal's sovereign rights over the disputed territory'. After Indian prime minister
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
's visit to China in 2015, India and China agreed to open a trading post in Lipulekh, raising objections from Nepal.
[
]
In November 2020, Nepali politicians claimed China had annexed more than 150 hectares of Nepalese land. The Nepali government in September 2021 formed a team under Home Ministry Joint Secretary Jaya Narayan Acharya to study dispute in
Limi
Limi Valley is a high-altitude valley that forms the northernmost part of the Humla District of north-western Nepal. To its north, the Limi valley borders the Purang County of Tibet, China.
Administrative
Limi is a ward council of the Namkha r ...
of
Namkha Rural Municipality of
Humla. The committee comprised Deputy Director General of the Survey Department Sushil Dangol, Senior Superintendent of Nepal Police Umesh Raj Joshi, Senior Superintendent of Armed Police Force Pradip Kumar Pal, Joint Director of National Investigation Department Kishor Kumar Shrestha and Home Ministry Secretary Acharya. This team submitted its report on 26 September which brought the conclusion of claim being truth. It suggested making a joint force for dispute resolution.
In addition, NC
Karnali Provincial Assembly party and former minister
Jeevan Bahadur Shahi lead team had submitted report on same asking to bring back Nepalese land. This matter was raised and supported by
NC vice-president and former
Home minister
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...
Bimalendra Nidhi
Bimalendra Nidhi (Maithili language, Maithili/Nepali language, Nepali/Devanagari: बिमलेन्द्र निधि ) is a Nepali politician who serves as a member of the House of Representatives (Nepal), House of Representatives and ...
who was Deputy Prime minister in
Second Dahal cabinet.
In early 2022, a Nepali government report was leaked. The report indicated the previously alleged buildings were on Chinese side, but found that China has built fences, a canal, and a road that encroached on Nepali soil.
Border crossings
In 2012, Nepal and China agreed to open new
ports of entry
In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internati ...
, to a total of six official ports. Three of the ports are designated as international ports, while three others are only designated for bilateral trade.
The border crossing between
Zhangmu
Zhangmu () or Dram in Tibetan (), or Khasa in Nepali, is a customs town and port of entry located in Nyalam County in Tibet, China close to the Nepal-China border, just uphill and across the Bhotekoshi River from the Nepalese town of Kodari. ...
and
Kodari
Kodari is a small village located at the border with Tibet-China. The village is located at the end–point of the Arniko Highway, which connects Kodari with the capital city of Kathmandu. Kathmandu is away from Kodari. Kodari is a major border ...
on the
Friendship Highway has been in operation since 1968. In 2014, the border crossing at
Rasuwa Fort
Rasuwa Fort or Rasuwa Gadhi (Nepali language, Nepali: ) is a historical fort ruin in the Rasuwa District of Nepal roughly at the border with Tibet, China. It is located along the Trishuli River north of the Nepalese town of Timure in Langtang Nat ...
(Rasuwagadhi) was opened for commerce and then for foreign nationals from 2017.
In addition, this border crossing is being considered for a future rail crossing between the two countries.
Other crossings, like the one at
Burang-
Hilsa
The ilish (''Tenualosa ilisha'') (), also known as the ilishi, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food in the Bengal region, and is ...
near the western tripoint, while not widely accessible have been used for local trade between China and Nepal for many years.
Some of those crossings have become so important for local trade that in 2008, when Chinese tightened its border control during the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...
, villages like
Kimathanka faced food shortages due to disruption of local trade.
Korala, the latest border crossing to open, started operations in 2023.
Galleries
Historical maps of the border from west to east in the
International Map of the World
The International Map of the World (IMW; also the Millionth Map of the World, after its scale of 1:1000000) was a project to create a complete map of the world according to internationally agreed standards. It was first proposed by the German g ...
and Operational Navigation Chart, middle/late 20th century:
File:Txu-oclc-6654394-nh-44-6th-ed.jpg,
File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-6654394-tsangpo-nh-45.jpg,
File:Txu-oclc-6654394-ng-45-8th-ed.jpg,
File:Operational Navigation Chart H-9, 7th edition.jpg,
See also
*
China-Nepal relations
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:China-Nepal border
Borders of China
Borders of Nepal
International borders