Published by: World Tibet Network News Issue Id: 98/01/05

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (UPI) _ The Tibetan economy surged ahead 13.4 percent last year, fueled by increased investment in basic infrastructure.

The official Xinhua (``Shin-hwa'') news agency says today the growth outpaced China's national average of 8.8 percent and marked the fifth consecutive year of double-digit economic performance in the isolated Himalayan region.

The news agency quoted local economists as saying Tibet's gross domestic product is estimated to hit $885 million in 1997, while per capita incomes are expected to reach $125.

According to the unnamed economists, the boom was led by ``a dramatic surge of investment in basic industries'' and a rise in aid from inland provinces.

The report says the increase in annual per capita income helped pull 120,000 people above the poverty line.

But more than 330,000 Tibetans still earn much less than the state- set minimum of $66 per year.

Tibet pumped $48 million into agricultural development during 1997 and spent an additional $442 million on ``key construction projects.''

The rugged region is home to more than 2.4 million people.