China and India are gearing up to restart border trade on Thursday through Tibet's Nathu La Pass, a historic trading route that has been closed for 44 years.

The Nathu La Pass, sitting 4,545 meters above sea level, was once a pivotal point on the ancient Silk Road.

Located some 460 kilometers from Tibet's regional capital Lhasa and 550 kilometers from the Indian coastal city of Calcutta, the pass was an important trade passage between China and India but was closed in 1962 amid border conflicts.

In line with minutes of negotiations signed between Chinese and Indian officials in Lhasa last month, the two countries will reopen the trade route Thursday with two border trade markets -- the Renqinggang market in Tibet and Changgu market of India.

Renqinggang market is 16 kilometers northeast of the Nathu La Pass. It will open from Monday through Thursday between June 1 and Sept. 30 every year and the business hours will last from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., said officials in Yadong county of Xigaze Prefecture, where the market is located.

The reopening of the Nathu La Pass is expected to give a major boost to bilateral trade between the world's two most populous nations, which totaled 18.7 billion U.S. dollars last year and is expected to top 20 billion U.S. dollars this year.

"The reopening of border trade will help end economic isolation in this area and play a key role in boosting market economy there, " said Hao Peng, vice chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region.

The move is also conducive to improving relations between the two countries, said Dr. Christy Fernandez, additional secretary of the Indian Department of Commerce.

With the reopening of the historic trade route and Saturday's launching of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, experts say the two countries will be able to revive the ancient Silk Road by shipping goods from China's inland areas to India and other parts of South Asia via Tibet.

Source: Xinhua