Port between China, Nepal to be Officially Opened in October

The Gyirong Port in southwest China’s Tibet bordered with Nepal will be officially opened in October this year.

The opening of the Gyirong Port has been listed in the key work plan of national ports in 2014, sources from the Lhasa Customs House work meeting.

The cross-border China-Nepal Gyirong Port Economic Cooperation Zone will be established and the Gyirong Port will be built into a tourist destination, according to the meeting.

The Gyirong Port enjoys a long history of being the largest land trading port between Tibet and Nepal. Many shop owners have expressed their hope that the opening of the port can help them get more involved in the border trade.

Gyirong Port
Gyirong Port

From May 2007, the Shigaze Customs House will dispatch four officials to station at the Gyirong Port, the head of the Lhasa Customs House said. A regular coordination system had been set up in order to seek support from the Gyirong county government, the Gyirong Customs and the Risur Customs of Nepal. Besides, the officials have been trying to promote preferential trade policies to encourage the local people to participate in the border trade. And some training has been provided to the port officials in Zham Customs House, another Class A port next to Gyirong in south Tibet’s Shigatze Prefecture.

By the end of July this year, construction of roads, energy and medical appliances will be completed at the port.

"The Gyirong Port will be equipped with special facilities for supervision and smuggling suppressing in preparation for the opening of the port," said Dong Mingjun, vice president of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

With the completion of the Lhasa-Shigatze Railway, the Gyirong Port will serve as a link between China and the South Asian countries. It is expected to bring a big number of visitors into Tibet and boost its tourism, which will help enhance the port’s popularity home and abroad.

"The Gyirong Port will become a key trading port next to Zham Port in Shigatze, and an important destination for international trekking, folk activities and visitors’ driving tours," head of the Gyirong County said.

In addition, the Gyirong Port will be opened wider to the outside world with improved operation capacity in order to promote trade with South Asia and become a cross-border economic cooperation zone between China and Nepal.

The Gyirong Port is situated in the southwestern Gyirong County of the Shigatze area. The Gyirong Port was approved as the Class B land port with the Customs House and office of commercial inspections. Due to the booming of Zham, the Gyirong Port suspended its foreign trade later. It was not until 1987 that the Gyirong Port was approved as the Class A national port engaging in barter trade by Chinese currency Renminbi or yuan and the Napalese currency.