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Tibet's story of progress highlighted

Updated: 2021-08-20 By PALDEN NYIMA and DAQIOGN in Lhasa (chinadaily.com.cn) Print

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Two Tibetan women take a walk in a community yard in Tibet's Gonggar county. The residents were relocated from extreme high-altitude areas to have a better life. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn]

Since the peaceful liberation of the Tibet autonomous region in 1951, the region has made all-around progress and historic achievements, officials said at a news conference on Friday.

"Over the past seven decades, the central government has been attaching great importance to Tibet-related work, and greater efforts have been made since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012," said Sonam Nyima, director of the regional Development and Reform Commission.

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A train passes by the Lhasa River super bridge in Lhasa, Tibet. [Photo by Tenzin Shidan/For Chinadaily.com.cn]

A series of major policies and projects have been formulated and implemented to support Tibet's economic and social development over the decades, he added.

The region's GDP soared past 190 billion yuan ($29.3 billion) in 2020 from 129 million yuan in 1951. Per-capita GDP increased from 114 yuan in 1951 to 52,345 yuan by 2020.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), the region's annual GDP growth rate reached 9 percent, 3.3 percentage points higher than the national average. The region ranked at the top in China in terms of annual average economic growth.

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A view of Lhasa from its South Ring Road. A more convenient traffic network has been formed in the city in recent years. [Photo by Phunthok/For Chinadaily.com.cn]

Around 628,000 people were lifted out of poverty during the period.

In regard to financial support from the central government, by 1994, 480 million yuan was invested in Tibet since the first and second central symposiums on Tibet-related work were held in the 1980s, with 43 key projects implemented during the period, said Jiang Taiqiang, an official of the commission, adding that investment has continued to increase, with more key projects in coming decades.

After the 18th CPC National Congress, the investment in fixed assets hit nearly 1.2 trillion yuan, with an average annual investment of more than 130 billion yuan.

"We can predict that during the next five years, the country will continue to inject more money into the region to help its high-quality social economic development," Jiang said.


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