The Old Silk Route may be dead forever and the Indian and Chinese effort to bury old disputes and revive trade along old links that brought trade onto the famous land route with Europe and West Asia will prove hard for it is burdened by the baggage of historical conflict.



The long pending boundary dispute between India and China has forever altered the old link routes that tied up with the Silk route.



Opening up the Nathu La pass after it was closed 44 years ago in the east Indian Himalayan state of Sikkim and Tibet will not revive much commercial activity as earlier opening up of similar trade points have failed to pick up. The Indo-Chinese conflict in 1962 had closed all trans- Himalayan commercial routes with Tibet.



Signing of a Indo-Tibet border trade pact in 1991 led to opening a trading point at Shipki La. In its 14 years of trading history the volume of business has failed to pick. The Chinese train to Tibet launched on July 1, has altered the geography forever.



The only gain from opening up Nathu La remains it being a confidence building measure which both sides need to settle long pending territorial disputes.



The rising of Asia as an economic power house makes it imperative that the emerging giants - China and India, peacefully settle old scores. Nathu La trade is a mere speck in the larger scheme of economic order emerging in Asia.



source: BBC