CHINA / Regional |
Chinese gov't to invest 100 billion yuan in Tibet(Xinhua/Agencies)Updated: 2007-03-27 13:24 China's central government will invest 100 billion yuan ($12.9 billion) in projects in Tibet, including an extension of its first railway, the regional government announced on Monday.
The projects -- also covering education, social security and environmental conservation -- would promote economic and social development, showing the central government's support for the region, said Xinhua. The vice chairman of the regional government, Hao Peng, said the new wave of
infrastructure investment would be tilted toward herding regions "so farmers and
herders and the grassroots population will fully enjoy the fruits of reform and
development." The construction of the region's fourth airport in the northern Ngari Prefecture was also included, said Hao, but he did not elaborate. Though it had reported five consecutive years of GDP growth of more than 12 percent, Tibet remained one of China's most underdeveloped regions due to its harsh natural conditions and a weak economy, and it relied heavily on investment, said Qiangba Puncog, chairman of autonomous region. The central government launched an aid program in Tibet in 1994, under which
cadres from other parts of China are selected and sent to Tibet to work, and
large sums are also invested in the region. The annual GDP growth of Tibet reached 13.4 percent last year, bringing the
region's total GDP to a record 29 billion yuan (US$3.74 billion) with the
per-capita GDP above US$1,000. |
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