SHIPKI-LA PASS

Current Context: China has agreed in principle to resume trade through Shipki-La Pass in Himachal Pradesh after Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India.

ABOUT SHIPKI-LA PASS

• Altitude: 3,930 metres.
• Location: Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh; border pass between India and China.
• Features:
  • Motorable pass, one of the highest in India.
  • Sutlej River (Langqen Zangbo in Tibet) enters India here.
  • Historically a major India–Tibet trade corridor.
• History:
  • Earlier called Pema La or Shared Gate/Pass.
  • Became part of Line of Actual Control (post-1962 war).
  • Named Shipki La by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
• Significance:
  • Boosts tourism and trade in border districts (Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti).
  • Aims to promote economic growth along the 240-km India–China frontier.