Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
KATHMANDU: The crucial Nepal–China cross-border trade and transit route through Rasuwagadhi has reopened after being shut for nearly six months, with the resumption of movement via the Miteri Bridge from Sunday morning.
Vehicular movement through the Rasuwagadhi border point began at 7:00 am, with Nepali truck drivers heading towards Kerung (Gyirong) in China. The reopening restores a key economic and logistical lifeline between Nepal and its northern neighbour, particularly for trade with Tibet Autonomous Region.
Chief District Officer of Rasuwa, Rajesh Panthi, said the Chinese side had formally informed Nepali authorities that the border would reopen from Poush 17 following the completion of a temporary Bailey bridge over the Lhende River. The bridge had been under construction after floods washed away the original Miteri Bridge earlier this year.
According to Police Inspector Bikram Kunwar of the Timure Border Police Post, Nepali drivers and representatives of business firms have already departed for Kerung to retrieve cargo containers that had crossed the border before Ashadh 24 and were stranded due to the sudden closure of the route.
Trade and transportation through the Rasuwagadhi border had come to a complete halt since June after severe flooding in the Lhende River swept away the Miteri Bridge, disrupting bilateral trade and transit. The disaster also caused extensive damage to the under-construction dry port at Timure and led to river-induced erosion at multiple sections of the 16-kilometre Rasuwagadhi–Syafrubesi road corridor.
Chief Customs Officer Tulsiprasad Bhattarai stated that the prolonged closure had resulted in an estimated revenue loss of around Rs 20 billion in customs duties compared to the same period last year, underscoring the economic impact of the disruption.
The reopening of the Rasuwagadhi border is expected to gradually normalize cross-border trade, logistics movement, and supply chains between Nepal and China, particularly for imports routed through the Kerung corridor.
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