Overview

• During a Tianjin meeting alongside SCO engagements, Nepal’s prime minister directly flagged the Lipulekh issue to China’s president, according to the Embassy of Nepal and the PM’s secretariat.
• The objection follows an India–China understanding to reopen border trade via Lipulekh, which Nepal has formally protested based on its constitutional map and historical claims.
• India has publicly dismissed Nepal’s position as unjustified and not grounded in historical evidence, reiterating its stance after Kathmandu’s protest.
• China highlighted continued development cooperation and multilateral coordination, including BRI implementation, but issued no public statement revising the trade understanding or addressing Lipulekh specifically.
• Oli also sought faster execution of agreed projects and asked for support toward Nepal’s aspiration for SCO membership, underscoring the pass’s sensitive location at the Nepal–India–China tri-junction.