Tibet trade through the Chumbi Valley— growth, rupture and reopening

Abstract

Extensive land and maritime networks have crisscrossed Asia for centuries providing for the basis for encounters between diverse peoples and cultures. The Chumbi Valley of Tibet at the tri junction between Bhutan, India and China (Tibet) is one such corridor that has made possible a stream of human migration from Tibet to the south and also the exchange of religious and political ideas. This has also been the traditional route for trade with Tibet. Forced open by the British in 1904 through the Younghusband Expedition this remained the most popular trade route between Tibet and Kalimpong in Darjeeling district till 1962 China war when the border was finally sealed off. Of late trade has started again from 2006 but the nature has completely changed. China has strategic motivations in the region and that is reflected in its continued military modernization, rapid force deployment and expanding communication network in the region. China’s presence in Chumbi Valley not only gives her proximity to India’s North -East and particularly the Siliguri corridor but ultimately gives passage to Nepal and Bhutan. The decision to reopen trade through Sikkim was a political decision on part of the two contending states but the nature of this trade is different from what it used to be earlier . Chumbi Valley has transformed from a little trodden path to a high security zone. It symbolizes the historical transformation of the region as a whole.