Cross-border tourism, trade thrive at Xizang border town linking China, Nepal

China

Cross-border tourism, trade thrive at Xizang border town linking China, Nepal

2025-08-16 16:46 Last Updated At：08-17 10:37

Cross-border tourism and trade have been thriving in Gyirong, a vibrant border town in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region connecting the country with Nepal, bringing cultural exchanges and fostering business between Nepalese and Chinese border residents.

Located in southwestern Xigaze City and bordering Nepal, Gyirong has served since ancient times as one of Xizang's vital corridors for friendly exchanges and trade with the outside world. Today, it also functions as a key transfer station for global travelers journeying from Xizang to Nepal.

"We just stayed there for two days, once going to (Mount) Kailash and then coming back. (Gyirong is a) vibrant place. (It's) very nice and clean," said a foreign traveler headed for Gyirong Port.

The immigration hall at Gyirong Port was recently packed with foreign travelers who had high praise for Xizang and the experiences the region offers.

"(Xizang is) much more beautiful than I expected, and the hotel was really nice, and people are very friendly," said a Russian traveler.

"It's been really nice. It's been very humbling to see them really immersed in their culture and their spiritual practice," an American traveler said.

"I really like Lhasa. I thought Lhasa is really cool. It was very open, very beautiful, people are very cool. It was very enjoyable to walk around, and have food, and put clothes on, and participate in some of the activities in the square as well, which is quite fun," said a British traveler.

Gyirong Town is located 20 kilometers from the China-Nepal border and just 160 kilometers from the Nepali capital, Kathmandu. Nepalese-style storefronts, including shops, restaurants, and cafes, line its busiest street. Many of these businesses are jointly run by Chinese and Nepalese border residents.

Tsewang Nyima, a Nepalese border resident and owner of a shop in the town, explained that she regularly visits Nepal and brings goods back over the border for her partner to sell in China.

Nyima and her business partner, Penpa Drolma, both agree that business has been good as of late. Drolma has also had success incorporating e-commerce into their business model.

"Many Nepalese people don't have access to live streaming, so I assist them in collectively selling products through live streams. Some mothers enjoy purchasing these distinctive Nepalese-style skirts for kids from my shop," said Drolma.

Nepal's trade with China has been increasing significantly in recent years. In 2024, its exports to China surged by over 57 percent, and imports from China grew by more than 34 percent, according to Nepal Rastra Bank figures.

Dialogue essential to resolving US-Iran deadlock: Pakistani scholar

A Pakistani scholar has stressed the importance of dialogue in resolving the conflict between the United States and Iran, as the two sides remain deadlocked over access to the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program.

In recent months, Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran, pushing diplomacy as a path to ending the conflict.

In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Rabia Akhtar, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Lahore, affirmed Pakistan's role as a mediator but stressed that whether an agreement is reached and implemented ultimately rests with the two countries.

"Pakistan's role is valuable because keeping a channel open gives the parties somewhere to take those agreements. A mediator can clarify a proposal, explore a sequence of reciprocal steps, and help each side understand what the other might accept. But a mediator cannot make the commitments on their behalf. Ultimately, Washington and Tehran have to decide that an agreement serves their interests and that they are prepared to implement it," she said.

Throughout the conflict, she noted, leaders have publicly deployed strong rhetoric against the other side. Akhtar called on both parties to withdraw from such practices, as they make reaching an agreement all the more difficult.

"There's also the domestic political problem. If you have told your public that anything short of the other side's surrender will be a defeat, you have made your own diplomacy much harder. Leaders need room to explain that a negotiated outcome can protect national interest. And quiet diplomacy helps because it allows options to be explored before every proposal becomes a public test of resolve," she said.

As the need for dialogue over conflict grows, Akhtar highlighted the potential role of China's Global Security Initiative (GSI), which focuses on addressing the world's growing security challenges through cooperation, dialogue, and shared responsibility, and offers a framework for managing crises.

"So for me, the GSI's emphasis on dialogue is relevant to what happens between crises as well as during them. So we need communication that survives political disagreements and commitments, that gives both sides a reason to exercise restraint. We cannot simply wait for trust to appear before we start talking. We have to use dialogue to establish whether commitments can be tested and whether restraint can be reciprocated," the scholar said.