China and India restarted border trade Thursday through Tibet's Nathu La Pass, a historic trading route that has been closed for 44 years.

The reopening of the Nathu La Pass, a major trading point between the two countries before it was closed in 1962 following a border conflict, delights Gaisang, a 97-year-old veteran businessman from Yadong County of Tibet's Xigaze Prefecture.

"It's amazing," he told Xinhua in an exclusive interview Thursday.

Ever since he was 18 Gaisang used to cross the Nathu La Pass to do barter trade in India. "We were traveling with a fleet of mules," he said. "The Indians loved Tibetan wools, ghee and potatoes and on our return trip, we'd bring back general merchandises from India."

The past was buried deep in Gaisang's memory and he's been a farmer since the border pass was closed in 1962. None of his eight children is doing business.

"Still, I want to have a look at the reopened pass," said Gaisang, who looks perfectly healthy and climbs agilely up the staircase of his two-storied Tibetan style house.

Nathu La Pass sits 4,545 meters above sea level and is wedged between Yadong county and India's Sikkim State.

The reopening of the pass is a significant move to enhance Sino-Indian friendship and promote good neighborly ties, said Qiangba Puncog, chairman of Tibet's regional government, at a grand inaugural ceremony held at the border pass late Thursday morning.

"It's a major event for the two countries to expand and deepen trade and economic cooperation and exchanges," he told an audience of about 400 officials and business people from both sides. "It marks Sino-Indian trade and economic cooperation has entered a new phase."

He also cut a red ribbon with Sikkim's chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling.

"This is a historic day for both countries," said Chamling. "It will lead to economic development and social prosperity of the people."

"We're looking forward to developing the trade and beginning tourism," he said, adding that the Indians hope border trade will be expanded to include more items and will facilitate free trade.

After the ceremony, people from the two countries crossed the border cheerfully and entered each other's territories. The Chinese presented hadas, a white silk scarf symbolizing respect and blessing, to the Indians.

Gone is the barbed wire that separated the world's most populous nations for the past 44 years and in its place is now a 10-meter wide, stone walled passageway waiting for merchants from both sides to go through.

A red banner on the Chinese side of the borderline reads "Warmest congratulations to the reopening of Sino-Indian Nathu La Pass border trade route" and a yellow one on the Indian side reads "Welcome to Nathu La".

At 10:00 am Thursday, the two countries raised their national flags and played national anthems on the two sides of their borderline at Nathu La Pass.

"We're very happy that trade is opened through Nathu La. It is a small beginning. I hope that subsequently we'll be able to visit the Chinese mainland through Nathu La in the near future," said Sonam Dorjee, member of the State Planning Commission of the Sikkim government.

"It's a victory of mankind," said Keshav Pradhan, regional editor at the Times of India Group, "because two great nations have come together."

The two countries have also opened on Thursday two border trade markets -- the Renqinggang market in Yadong County and Changgu mart in India's state of Sikkim.

More than 100 Indian traders and residents of the border region have arrived at Renqinggang market. The market 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.

It won't be possible for traders to travel to the market in the other eight months of the year, when freezing temperature and heavy snow will lock most locals at home.

"I have good expectations of the trade route," said Sikkim-based businessman Manabir Prasad Agarnal, 49. "I think in the long time we can do very good business through this route."

Renqinggang Market currently offers 28 booths but more than 200 traders have applied, said Baisang Cering, deputy head of Yadong county.

"I believe the border trade market will become a big one in the future," said M.L. Lakhotia, managing director of Hotel Tashi Delek. "I wish free trade will be going on between India and China."

Chinese and Indian officials agreed last month that Thursday is the date to reopen border trade through Nathu La Pass, one of the main arteries of the Silk Road that historically linked China via central Asia to Europe.

With the reopening of the historic trade route and last 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.

Rinzin Qoizhoin, 50, is planning for an inspection tour to Changgu mart in Sikkim. "I want to have a look to see what commodities sell well, so that I can build up my stock," she told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

By starting up trade in Sikkim, she said she's hoping to follow her father, a Tibetan national born in southwest China's Yunnan Province who was a member of the caravan that traveled along the ancient Cha Ma Road, or the Tea Horse Road linking the arid plains of Tibet with mountain valley communities of Yunnan.

"He was a merchant along the route in his younger days and settled down in Tibet," said Rinzin Qoizhoin.

Source: Xinhua