Borders are the gateway to growth and development in the trajectory of contemporary economic diplomacy. They provide a new mode of interaction which entails de-territorialised economic cooperation and free trade architecture, thereby making the spatial domain of territory secondary in the global economic relations. Taking a cue from this, both India and China looked ahead to revive their old trade routes in order to restore cross-border ties traversing beyond their political boundaries. The reopening of the Nathula trade route in 2016 was realised as a catalyst in generating trust and...