 |
CPC Leaders' Stress on Development in Tibet in Half Past Century
The economy in China's Tibet Autonomous Region has grown at an annual average rate of 11.9 percent during the past seven years, higher than the national average.
The rapid economic growth is attributable to the more than 100 huge projects involving at least 50 billion yuan (about 6 billion US dollars) in financial assistance from the central government and other parts of the country.
Under the special attention given by the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) over the past half century, three waves of massive economic development have been launched in Tibet, resulting in improved living and working conditions for several million Tibetan residents.
The first wave of development was started in 1950s focusing on construction of infrastructure, including the highways linking up Sichuan province to the east and Qinghai province to the north, and projects of power, building material, education and health care.
The Central Chinese government has gradually increased its investment in Tibet since China introduced the policy of reform and opening to the outside world in 1978.
The second development wave came in 1984, when the CPC Central Committee made a decision on the assistance by nine provinces and municipalities in inland China to construct 43 major projects in Tibet.
The projects include Yanghu Hydroelectric Plant and the project to expand Gongga Airport, comprehensive development projects in three major rivers in Tibet.
In 1990s, the central government invested nearly 30 billion yuan in a number of projects involving agriculture, energy, transportation and telecommunications.
Later on, the CPC Central Committee and the Chinese government decided in 1994 to build another 62 major projects in Tibet, which have been completed and have yielded benefits.
Moreover, 15 economically richer provinces and municipalities in other parts of China and central government departments were also ordered to provide Tibet with financial assistance and other forms of support.
Construction of the huge Qinghai-Tibet Railway project, which will link up the two regions, was launched recently.
Experts say the railway line is expected to boost economic development in Tibet as the railway makes it much easier and cheaper for raw material and goods to be transported in and out of Tibet.
This year, the CPC leadership and the Chinese government decided to earmark 31.2 billion yuan for 117 projects in Tibet, and also the other parts of the Chinese mainland were asked to support 70 projects in Tibet in the coming two years, involving about 1 billion yuan.
Tibet was still a feudal and serf society with integration religion and politics until it was peacefully liberated in 1951.
But the development was slow as the CPC leadership under Mao Zedong was cautious in implementing the agreement between the central government and local government.
Over 1 million serfs did not become the master of the country until March 1959 when the armed rebellion, launched by the upper ruling block of Tibet, was crushed and democratic reform was then introduced at the order of Mao Zedong.
In order to promote the economic and social development in Tibet, Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China's policy of reform and opening to the outside world, had also given lots of thought to the development of Tibet.
Local officials said many policies and measures made later by the central government to boost economic and social development were based on the idea of Deng Xiaoping.
Jiang Zemin, general secretary of CPC Central committee and Chinese president, has also devoted a lot of attention to the development of Tibet.
In 1990, he inspected Tibet in spite of the high plateau reaction of meager oxygen, and reiterated several times that other parts of the country should support Tibet's economic and social development.
In This Section
|