Gangtok, May 7: The Sikkim Democratic Front today welcomed China’s move to formally recognise the state as an integral part of India by removing it from the list of countries in its just published World Affairs Year Book-2003-04.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference today, B.B. Gooroong, former chief minister and political adviser to Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling, said: “After 32 years of merger with India, China has formally recognised Sikkim as an integral part of India. This decision will improve Sino-Indian relations in the days to come.”

The decision to remove Sikkim as a separate country from the Chinese world map comes at a time when border trade at Nathula is scheduled to be opened officially from July.

Gooroong said apart from bolstering economic development between the two countries, it would also give an impetus to the development of tourism in the near future.

The external affairs ministry had yesterday welcomed the decision and confirmed that Beijing had stopped showing Sikkim as a separate nation in Asia.

Last year, the official Chinese publication had shown Sikkim as a separate country in its map and had mentioned it among “independent” nations.

The decision to drop the map is also significant because it involves recognition of the present Sikkim-China border, which is a part of the McMahon line that Beijing, in the past, had never accepted as constituting the boundary between the two countries. A significant breakthrough was made last year after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao had agreed to resume trade ties between the two countries through the border outpost of Nathula in Sikkim.

Soon after, a formal recognition of Sikkim as a part of China was made when the official Chinese website listed it out as a separate country.

Mentioning that reopening of the Nathu-la trade route was one of their “significant” achievements since it was a persistent demand made to the Prime Minister by the SDF government, Rajya Sabha MP P.T. Gyamtso informed that the route would officially open from July this year. He said it would boost pilgrimage tourism for the state since pilgrims could now avail of the shortest route to Kailash and Mansarovar.