Communication Prospects of Tibet

In retrospective, Tibet communications has obtained glorious and encouraging achieves. In perspective, Tibet communications future is promising. Tibet communications will closely grasp the development opportunity, substantially improve highway through ability, improve transport efficiency and benefits, enable Tibet communications cause to gradually step onto the track on the basis of sound infrastructure and technical equipment and advanced management means. It will actively develop aviation, railway, pipeline and water transport, enable Tibet to basically meet the needs of the national economy and social development and national defense, and display the pioneering role.
On highway construction, highlight rectification, maintenance and management of the Existing highways, under the condition of ensuring open traffic, upgrade highways, take the regional five national trunk highways as the skeleton, connect the national trunk highway Duantou section, improve six joint lines between passages and trunk lines. It basically finish the rectification, reconstruction, new construction and improvement tasks of the 'three north-south highways, two east-west highways and six thoroughfares", strengthen national defense and border defense construction, improve provincial trunk highways and county-township highways. It will accomplish highway construction within the "Three Rivers" central reaches plan, gradually form highway network with Lhasa as the center and prefectures as transits and connecting counties and townships outlets. By 2010, Tibet's highway mileage will amount to 26,000 kilometers; the paving rate will reach 100 percent including over 4,000 kilometers bituminous highway; Most of the townships will be accessible to highway; County-0level highway (or above) will be opened to traffic at all weathers; The maintenance mileage will account for 80 percent of the total traffic mileage; Over 3,000 kilometers standard highway will constructed; The passenger and goods volume will total 5 million people and 5.5 million tons respectively, with an average growth rate of 5.1 percent.
The region auction with economic and social development, business management with production management, actively create conditions, resume Tibet regional airline, follow economic rules, take into full account economic benefits and social benefits. It will actively open outlying air passages and let them display major role in transport disaster-relief materials and emergency. It will strive to create conditions, expand foreign-related air business, and actively open lines with all friendly neighboring countries.
It will take active attitude, seriously prepare front-end work for Tibet-bound railway construction, accelerate progress, strive to start construction in early next century, construct Tibet-inbound railway by 2010, and end the history when Tibet has no railway.
Expand Golmud-Lhasa oil pipeline, construct Lhasa-Zedang, Lhasa-Shigatse and Lhasa-Nyingchi oil pipelines in accordance with condition. Based on the detailed circumstances of north Tibet's petroleum resource prospecting and tapping, construct support oil pipeline.
On inland waterway transport, combine the comprehensive development, follow the river comprehensive harnessing policy, make feasibility study of Lhasa River middle reaches, Yarlung Zanbo Rive middle reaches and Nianchu River partial section, and conduct development and construction when conditions are mature.
Tibet communications will in the form of pioneer take firm steps and lay solid foundation for Tibet economic take-off.