Trade

Trade Through Rasuwagadhi Resumes with New Bailey Bridge

The six-month closure of the checkpoint led to revenue losses exceeding Rs 22 billion, according to the Rasuwagadhi Customs Office

January 1, 2026

The Rasuwagadhi checkpoint along the Nepal–China border resumed operations on Thursday, January 1, after remaining closed for nearly six months.

The crossing was shut down on July 8, 2025, after flooding in the Lhende stream, an upstream tributary of the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa, swept away the Miteri Bridge.

Border movement resumed on Thursday morning following the completion of a 91-metre Bailey bridge constructed by China.

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Vehicular movement has restarted via the newly installed bridge, which has a load capacity of 55 tonnes, according to the state-owned RSS news agency.

By the time RSS filed its report, eight Nepali cargo containers had already crossed the border and departed for Kerung, China. The agency cited Police Inspector Bikram Kunwar of the Border Police Post in Timure.

Rasuwagadhi Customs Office Chief Tulasi Prasad Bhattarai said the prolonged closure of the checkpoint resulted in revenue losses exceeding Rs 22 billion.

(With inputs from RSS)