A: Since the Democratic Reform in 1959, and especially since 1979, when the reform
and opening policy was implemented , Tibet's economic construction has been accelerated
dramatically. Industry, agriculture, animal husbandry, telecommunications and
commerce have all undergone rapid development. With the support of the central
government and people of other areas, Tibet has developed its pillar industries
through utilization of its rich resources. Its comprehensive economic force has
been fortified, and basic conditions for foreign trade, economic and technological
cooperation have undergone great improvement.
A highway system, with the Qinghai-Tibet,
Sichuan-Tibet, Xinjiang-Tibet and China-Nepal highways as its main framework has
been established, and the Gonggar and Bamda airports are equipped to accommodate
Boeing 747, Boeing 757 and A340 aircraft. There are also direct flights from Lhasa
to other Chinese provincial capitals, as well as international flights from Lhasa
to Katandu.
With the development of the economy and transportation in Tibet,
tourism is also starting to boom, and the number of tourists coming to Tibet increased
enormously in 2000. During the first half of the year, it received 185,000 international
and domestic tourist-an increase of 57 percent over 1999. Among them 35,000 were
overseas travelers, representing an increase of 40 percent over the same period
of the previous year.
Tibet's most rapid development occurred during the Ninth
Five-Year Plan (1996-2000), when its GDP surpassed 10 billion yuan, and it averaged
an annual increase of 12.9 percent for 6 consecutive years. Tibet is self-sufficient
in grain, edible oil and meat, and a socialist market economy has taken shape. |
