Gangtok: The Sikkim government on June 24 hailed China's implicit acceptance of Sikkim as part of India saying it has removed a 'long-standing irritant' in Sino-Indian ties.

China implicitly accepted Sikkim as part of India, 28 years after the state's merger, by agreeing to open trading posts on the Sikkim-Tibet border in an memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries in Beijing on June 23.

Welcoming the Chinese gesture on behalf of the Sikkim government, Chief Minister's political advisor B B Gooroong said it will not only remove a "long standing irritant" in bilateral relations between India and China but also "dramatically raise the level of political comfort in New Delhi" about (having) a more intense relationship with Beijing.

"More importantly the Chinese decision to trade through Sikkim will give a major boost to the Himalayan region with renewed trade activities", Gooroong said.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, after lengthy talks on June 23 addressed the long-standing irritant of Sikkim's merger.

The MoU on expanding border trade provides for trade through routes that go through Sikkim.

PTI