China assures India to open up new pilgrim route to Kailash Manasarovar by 2015

China has given India assurances that it is taking preparatory steps to open up a new route to Kailash Manasarovar for pilgrims by 2015.
During the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian PM Narendra Modi, President Jinping promised to open a new route to Kailash Manasarovar via Sikkim. This route is scheduled to be operational from the summer of 2015. The new route to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar will go through the Nathu La Pass.
Recently, Jiang Jie, the Vice Chairman of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) met with the Indian Ambassador to China, Ashok Kantha, who is on a tour of Tibet with a two-fold objective: to make preparations for the pilgrims and to expand border trade through the Sikkim border. Other issues discussed were efforts being taken by the TAR to upgrade facilities for pilgrims through the existing route which passes through the Lipulekh Pass and the socio-economic conditions in the TAR.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2014