Transport infrastructure fuels robust growth in Xizang

An aerial drone photo taken on June 27, 2024, shows a view of a high-grade highway linking Lhasa and Xigaze in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (Photo/Xinhua)

Transport infrastructure has played a significant role in driving socio-economic progress of Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, a Chinese expert said, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Qinghai-Xizang and Sichuan-Xizang highways on Wednesday.

On December 25, 1954, the two highways simultaneously reached Lhasa, capital of the autonomous region, ending the history of no highways in the "roof of the world." The Qinghai-Xizang highway, which has an average elevation of 4,000 meters, and the Sichuan-Xizang highway, which has an average elevation of 3,500 meters, have a combined length of 4,360 kilometers.

The two overland arteries, the economic lifeline of Xizang, handled more than 90 percent of the region's cargo transportation to and from other provinces, according to Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday.

Xizang has achieved significant advancements in road development in recent years. As of the first half of 2024, the total length of highways in Xizang reached 123,300 kilometers, including 1,196 kilometers of expressways. Rural roads account for 93,000 kilometers of this total.

The mileage for roads has nearly doubled from 65,200 kilometers in 2012, according to data from the region's transport authority.

Craftsmen pose for a group photo at a workshop of a cooperative in Dagze District of Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)

Xiong Kunxin, a professor at Minzu University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the two roads were instrumental in enhancing connectivity, fostering communication, and promoting integration between Xizang and other provinces.

"The roads are also crucial for advancing transportation development in the region's next phase," Xiong said.

The region aims to develop a 140,000-kilometer-long modern transportation network featuring safety, efficiency, sustainability, and innovation, facilitating seamless movement of people and goods across the plateau by 2035, a Xizang transport official wrote in an article in the Xizang Daily on Wednesday.

The fast growth in transportation infrastructure has driven the region's economic growth and communication, transforming its trade landscape and creating momentum for growth in trade and tourism.

The region's foreign trade value reached 11.22 billion yuan ($1.54 billion) in the first 11 months of this year, showing a 9.4 percent year-on-year increase, exceeding the national average by 4.5 percentage points, according to Lhasa customs on Tuesday.

In the tourism sector, the region received 57 million domestic and overseas tourists during the first three quarters, surpassing the total number of tourists recorded for the entirety of 2023, according to a report by the China News Service on October 22.

In addition to road traffic, Xizang has steadily developed a multi-modal transportation system, incorporating rail and air networks.

China also constructed the Qinghai-Xizang Railway, and its cargo transportation volume has grown steadily. The Lhasa West Station Rail depot's cargo throughput rose from 329,000 tons in 2006, the year when the railway opened, to 5.71 million tons in 2023.

On December 18, a freight train carrying new-energy vehicles departed from Xining, capital city of Northwest China's Qinghai Province for Kathmandu, Nepal, signifying a milestone in enhancing economic and trade connections between Qinghai and Nepal.

The cargo will be transferred midway at Xigaze to trucks for overland transport via the Gyirong Port, a bustling trade hub on the China-Nepal border, to Kathmandu. The total transit time is expected to be approximately 15 to 20 days.

An executive with China Railway Qinghai-Xizang Group Co, who declined to be named, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the newly opened corridor leverages rail transport's capacity for large-volume, cost-effective shipping while harnessing the flexibility and adaptability of road transportation.

Notably, the region's trade with neighboring Nepal rose by an impressive 75.8 percent year-on-year, reaching 4.42 billion yuan.