Published by: World Tibet Network News, Sunday, Jun 2, 1996

LHASA (May 27) XINHUA - China's Tibet Autonomous Region has drawn up an ambitious plan that will bring it more wealth and success in the coming years.

The aim of the plan is to score a ten percent increase in the region's gross domestic product (GDP) each year until the end of the century.

It means the per-capita GDP (the value of goods and services produced) in Tibet in the year 2000 will be four times the 1980 figure, in accordance with the Ninth Five-Year Plan for Tibet's economic and social development that has been adopted by the Regional People's Congress.

Tibet's GDP in 2010 is projected to double the 2000 figure with the per-capital GDP approaching the nation's average in 2010, according to Tibet's long-range objective for the year 2010.

Tibet has drawn up an action programme to help the region attain its goals:

- Tibet will strengthen its farming sector as the foundation of its economy by increasing investment, advancing scientific and technological progress and increasing the incomes of farmers and herdsmen.

- A number of hydroelectric power stations will be built to increase Tibet's generating capacity to 450,000 kw by the turn of the century.

- Work will be done to upgrade five national highways and roads in border areas.

- By 2000 all counties will be connected to the national automated long-distance telephone exchange network.

- Tibet will concentrate on expanding such industries as forestry processing, mining, farm product and animal by-product processing, handicrafts, construction, building materials and tourism.

- Four economic zones will be built along the highway between Tibet and neighboring Sichuan Province, the highway from Tibet to the neighboring Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the road between Tibet an neighboring Qinghai Province, and the highway that links Tibet with Nepal.