Central government to invest 90 billion yuan in Tibet

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 ◆ Central government to invest 90 billion yuan in Tibet

The Chinese central government will spend over 90 billion yuan (about 10.8 billion US dollars) in Tibet during the country's 10th five-year plan period (2001-2005),said Legqog, Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

He made the remarks here recently during an interview with reporters from 25 news organizations from 9 countries including Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. During the interview, Legqoq noted that, during China's fourth working conference on Tibet last year, the central government set a goal of investing 31.2 billion yuan in Tibet on 117 key projects during the 2001-2005 period in order to improve the infrastructure as well as the quality of life. The government also decided to grant Tibet 36.9 billion yuan in fiscal subsidies.

He further noted that the central government has offered a special policy to Tibet: the government will approve any project benefiting the Tibetan people.

To date, the central government has invested 8 billion yuan in projects in Tibet. It is estimated that, during the 2001-2005 period, the central government will spend over 90 billion yuan in Tibet.

Statistics show that during the first half of 2002, 18 of the 117 key projects in Tibet were completed, while 69 are in progress, with a total investment over 27 billion yuan.