First created :
24 August 2003 1629 hrs (SST) 0829 hrs (GMT)
Last modified :
24 August 2003 1629 hrs (SST) 0829 hrs (GMT)
China looks to speed up the Tibet economy
By China Bureau Chief Maria Siow
Tibet has an economic growth rate that is lower when compared to other areas within China.
But Chinese authorities say they plan to speed up the region's development, especially in areas such as transportation, energy and telecommunications.
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One workshop produces rugs and carpets mainly for homes and hotels within Tibet and nearby Chinese provinces.
It is operated round the clock by a team of young female workers.
This is the kind of industry that has provided jobs for many Tibetans.
"Some carpets take me one month to complete, others one and a half months. My basic pay is US$72 per month," said factory worker Tsering Tsewang.
Apart from such traditional industries, authorities in the region hope to spur the growth of more modern industries, such as the Tibetan Beer Factory, which wants to make its presence felt even beyond Tibet.
But before it can do that, it still has to overcome one of Tibet's biggest obstacles to its development -- a poor transportation network and virtual isolation from the outside world.
"Our biggest problem is in the high cost of transportation, which erodes our competitive edge. But with the opening of the Qinghai-Tibetan railway line, we hope to achieve an even wider reach," said Liu Bo, general manager of the Tibetan Beer Factory.
The railway linking Tibet with the rest of China, when completed in 2007, is also expected to make it more accessible to tourists.
"When the railway is completed, many of our herdsmen can have the choice of leaving their backward rural and agricultural lives and join in the process of modern production and modern life," said Gungbao Tzarsee, vice-director, Development and Planning Commission, Nakchu prefecture, Tibet.
Equally hopeful that the new railway will make a difference is Tibet Tibetan Medicine, a pharmaceutical plant that produces traditional Tibetan medicine.
Some of its capsules are said to help relieve cough and asthma, while others reduce constipation.
Tibetan medicine is based on the central principle of wind, bile and phlegm in the human body.
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