Nepal seeks China aid to rebuild flood-hit Rasuwagadhi trade road

Nepal has sought China’s help to rebuild the Syaphrubesi-Rasuwagadhi road, a key trade route with its northern neighbour, after it was badly damaged in last month’s flash floods. The floods were triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26 and devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, killing nearly 1,400 people and leaving more than 5,000 missing.

The roughly 16-km road linking Syaphrubesi with the Rasuwagadhi border crossing was being upgraded under a NRs 6.5-billion Chinese-funded project when the floods washed away large sections, severely damaging the border crossing and cutting off a major trade link between the two countries, The Kathmandu Post reported.

According to preliminary estimates by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, restoring the damaged road between Rasuwagadhi and Galchhi will cost around NRs 55 billion, or about USD 364 million.

Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal told the newspaper on Saturday, "China has given us a verbal commitment to provide assistance, although a written agreement has not yet been signed." He added, "The route is not only a trade corridor between Nepal and China. There are many settlements along it as well." Lamsal said, "For now, we are preparing to use a temporary track to keep the route to Rasuwagadhi open. In the long term, we need to build a safer road, but for the time being we will make do with a temporary track."

Lamsal said Nepal had also sent a proposal to China seeking assistance to restore the border point, and discussions on various alternatives were continuing. The Rasuwagadhi border point, about 152 km north of Kathmandu, had resumed operations on January 1 after a major flood in July 2025 swept away the Miteri bridge and inundated the customs yard at Timure.

Rasuwagadhi has become Nepal’s main northern trade route with China after the Araniko Highway and the Tatopani border crossing faced repeated disruptions, especially after the 2015 earthquake, the report said. The August 26 disaster completely destroyed the border point and nearby areas, and customs officials said it was no longer possible to rebuild the customs office and other facilities at their earlier locations.

Nepal is now looking at temporary arrangements to keep the route open while seeking Chinese support for a longer-term rebuild of the damaged road and border infrastructure.