Tibet
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Tibet
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Elevation
extremes Tibet, averaging more than 4,000 meters above sea level, forms the main part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is well known as the "roof of the world." The Himalayas, ranging from east to west on the southern edge of the Tibet Plateau, run for 2,400 kilometers with an elevation of more than 6,000 meters. Mount Qomolangma is the world's highest peak with an elevation of 8848.13 meters. The Yarlungzangbo Gorge, at a depth of 5,382 meters, is the world's deepest gorge. Natural
resources
Minerals
There
are more than 90 known mineral types in Tibet, reserves of 26 of which
have been proved while 11 of them rank among the top five in the quantity
of reserves in China. The minerals include chromite, lithium, copper,
gypsum, boron, magnesite, barite, arsenic, mica, peat, kaolin, salt, natural
soda, mirabilite, sulphur, phosphorus, potassium, diatomaceous earth,
iceland spar, corundum, rock quartz and agate.
Energy
Tibet
is rich in water, geothermal, solar and wind energy. It produces approximately
200 million kilowatts of natural hydro-energy annually, about 30 percent
of the nation's total. It has 354.8 billion cubic meters of surface water
resources, 13.5 percent of the nation's total; and 330 billion cubic meters
of glacial water resources. Tibet has about 56. 59 million kilowatts exploitable
hydro-energy resources, 15 percent of the nation's total. Tibet also leads
China in geothermal energy.
The Yangbajain geothermal field in Damxung County, Lhasa,
is China's largest high temperature steam geothermal field, and also one
of the largest geothermal fields in the world.
Plants
Tibet
is like a giant plant kingdom, with more than 5,000 species of high-grade
plants.
It is also one of China's largest forest areas, preserving
intact primeval forests. Almost all the main plant species from the tropical
to the frigid zones of the northern hemisphere are found here. Forestry
reserves exceed 2.08 billion cubic meters and the forest coverage rate
is 9.84 percent. Common species include Himalayan pine, alpine larch,
Pinus yunnanensis, Pinus armandis, Himalayan spruce, Himalayan fir, hard-stemmed
long bract fir, hemlock, Monterey Larix potaniniis, Tibetan larch, Tibetan
cypress and Chinese juniper. There are about 926,000 hectares of pine
forest in Tibet. Two species, Tibetan longleaf pine and Tibetan lacebark
pine, are included in the listing of tree species under state protection.
There are more than 1,000 wild plants used for medicine, 400 of which
are medicinal herbs most often used. Particularly well known medicine
plants include Chinese caterpillar fungus, Fritillaria Thunbergii, Rhizoma
Picrorhizae, rhubarb, Rhizoma Gastrodiae, pseudo-ginseng, Codonopsis Pilosula,
Radix Gentiane Macrophyllae, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, glossy ganoderma,
and Caulis Spatholobi. In addition, there are over 200 known species of
fungi, including famous edible fungi songrong, hedgehog hydnum, zhangzi
fungus, mush rooms, black fungi, tremellas and yellow fungi. Fungi for
medical use include tuckahoes, songganlan, stone-like omphalias.
Animals
There
are 142 species of mammals in Tibet, 473 species of birds, 49 species
of reptiles, 44 species of amphibians, 64 species of fish and more than
2,300 species of insects. Wild animals include Cercopithecus, Assamese
macaque, rhesus monkey, muntjak, head-haired deer, wild cattle, red-spotted
antelopes, serows, leopards, clouded leopards, black bears, wild cats,
weasels, little pandas, red deer, river deer, whitelipped deer, wild yaks,
Tibetan antelopes, wild donkeys, argalis, Mongolian gazelles, foxes, wolves,
Iynxes, brown bears, jackals, blue sheep, and snow leopards. The Tibetan
antelope, wild yak, wild donkey and argali are all rare species particular
to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and are under state protection. The white-lipped
deer, found only in China, is of particular rarity. The black-necked crane
and the Tibetan pheasant are under state first-grade protection.
Tourism
resources
Tibet
continually developed and exploited its unique tourism resources, both
human and natural. The region currently has four tourist areas of Lhasa,
the west, southwest and south.
The Lhasa tourist area includes Lhasa, Yangbajain, Damxung,
Gyangze, Zetang, Xigaze and Yamzhoyum Co Lake. Lhasa itself is not only
Tibet's political, economic, cultural and transportation center, but also
the center of Tibetan Buddhism. Major tourist sites include the Jokhang
Temple, Ramoche Temple, Potala Palace, Barkhor Bazaar, Norbulingka Palace
and three great monasteries of Ganden, Drepung and Sera. The Jokhang Temple,
the Potala and Norbulingka palaces and Ganden, Drepung and Sera monasteries
are key cultural relics under state-level protection.
Western Tibet is Nagari Prefecture, the so-called "rooftop
atop the world's rooftop." The area draws visitors because of its
great religious significance. Many tourists and pilgrims from Nepal and
India come into Tibet through the Burang port of entry to visit the area's
sacred mountains and lakes.
The southwest Tibet tourist district is a place for mountaineers,
many of whom are Nepalese who come to Tibet through Zhamu entry/exit port
to enjoy the mountain scenery or do some climbing.
In southern Tibet, centered around Nyingchi, one can pass
through the four seasons of the year in a single day. There are snow-capped
mountains, dense primeval forests, surging rivers and azalea-covered mountainsides.
This beautiful scenery is easy to enjoy given the pleasantly humid and
mild climate.
New tourist routes and specialty tours have been added in
recent years. New routes are Lhasa-Nyingschi-Shannan-Lhasa (eastern circle
line) and Lhasa-Xigaze-Ngari-Xigaze (western circle line). Specialty tours
include exploration by automobile, trekking and scientific investigation
tours. Other special events include the Shoton Theatrical Festival in
Lhasa, the Qangtam Horseracing Festival in the North Tibet Plateau and
the Yarlung Culture and Arts Festival in Shannan.
Tourist facilities: By the end of 1994, Tibet had opened more
than 30 travel agencies of various types, and 50 tourist hotels open to
foreigners, seven of which are rated. There are more than 400 buses and
cars and over 3,000 staff waiting to serve visitors. The Tibetan tourism
network extends to hotels established by the region in Beijing, Chengdu
and Xi'an and tourism offices set up in Hong Kong, Nepal, Beijing and
Chengdu. In 1994, 28,000 overseas tourists visited Tibet, generating 180
million yuan, and more than US$ 10 million in foreign exchange.
Environment
and current issues
Tibet
has thinner air, more sunlight, lower temperatures and less precipitation
than other areas in China The air contains only 150-170 grams oxygen per
cubic meter, 62-65.4 percent that of plain areas.
The degree of industrial and other pollution in Tibet is comparatively
light. No major instance of environmental pollution has ever occurred
and there is no acid rain. Whenever a construction project with potential
environmental effects is begun, there is an evaluation of environmental
impact. This system also requires that pollution control facilities be
designed, constructed and completed at the same time as the main project
in question. Some former sources of pollution have been brought under
control. The smoke prevention and dust removal rate for fuel combustion
waste gases is 80 percent in the region. Urban construction is reasonably
planned and afforestation is stressed. The ??green rate?? in Lhasa is 17.6
percent, supplying an average 12 square meters of green space per person.
In recent years, technical and research departments have completed
a number of investigations into the sources of industrial pollution in
Tibet and regional wild plant and animal resources. Environmental supervision
and monitoring stations have been established in Lhasa, Xigaze and Qamdo.
Investigations indicate that Tibet's environment is currently in good
shape. The air and water are essentially unpolluted. Environmental radiation
is within normal limits and no manmade radioactive pollution is present.
Enforcement
of environmental protection laws
The government
of Tibet Autonomous Region has consistently stressed the implementation
of the nation's fundamental policy that natural resources be rationally
utilized so as to protect the environment, conscientiously realizing the
coordinated planning and carrying out economic, urban and rural, and environmental
construction.
In recent years, the Standing Committee of the Tibetan People's
Congress and the regional government have issued a series of regional
laws and administrative regulations geared to environmental protection,
including the "Tibet Autonomous Region Environmental Protection Ordinance,??
"Tibet Autonomous Region Forest Protection Ordinance,?? "Interim
Provisions for Grasssland Manag ement in the Tibet Autonomous Region,??
"Tibet Autonomous Region People's Government Proclamation on the
Protection of Aquatic Resources?? and "Tibet Autonomous Region Administrative
Procedures for Environmental Protection in Construction Projects.?? There
are 20 regulations governing the protection of wild animals.
The government of the Tibet Autonomous Region established
an environment protection agency in 1975 and an environment protection
committee in 1990. Environmental protection laws and regulations concern
forests, wild plants and animals, species preservation, ecological agriculture
and animal husbandry, headwaters, natural and man-made sites deserving
of protection for scenic or cultural and historic reasons, valuable geological
landforms, and mountains. For many years hard work has gone to preventing
forest fires and planting more trees.
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II.
Population
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Total
population: 2.52
million (1998)
Population
growth rate: 1.59
percent (1998)
Life
expectancy (average): 65
Ethnicity
At the
end of 1994, the population of Tibet totaled 2.32 million and it grew
to 2.52 million in 1998, of which, 2.236 million are Tibetan (96.4 percent),
66,000 Hans (2.8 percent) and 18,000 (0.8 percent) of other ethnic groups.
In addition to Tibetans, other ethnic groups include the Lhoba, Moinha,
Han, and Hui??
The Moinba people have lived on the Tibet Plateau since ancient
times. Most of them are distributed in Moinyu in the south and some are
scattered in Medog, Nyingchi and Cona counties.
The Lhoba people are mainly found in Lhoyu of southeastern
Tibet, with some scattered in Mainling, Medog, Zayu, Lhunze and Nang counties.
Most of the Hui people living in Tibet today are descendants
of the Hui who moved over from Gansu, Shaanxi, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan
provinces during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a minority came from Central
Asia. Most of them live in cities and towns of Lhasa, Xigaze and Qamdo.
They work in commerce, handicrafts or animal slaughtering.
Since the Qing Dynasty, many Han people have moved to Tibet.
Some have been assimilated into the Tibetan ethnicity. Today, most Han
people living in Tibet are technicians, workers, teachers, medical workers
and officials from other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.
Literacy
At the
end of 1998, 2,907 people in Tibetan were graduates with an educational
level of college or above, 25,743, senior middle school, 158,400, junior
middle school, 947,500, primary school In addition, there were 1.11 million
illiterate or semi-illiterate people.
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III. Economy
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GDP: 9.19
billion yuan (1998)
GDP
annual growth rate:
Average
GDP per capita:
3,716 yaun (1998)
GDP
ration (1st, 2nd and tertiary industries): 34.3,
22.2 and 43.5% respectively.
Poverty
alleviation plan In comparison with inland provinces, and coastal regions in the southeast in particular, Tibet remains an underdeveloped region, where there are still 210,000 people living in poverty, representing 9.8 percent of rural residents. At the end of 1993, the national poverty relief program started with the goal of solving the food and clothing problems for the existing 80 million poor people throughout China in the remainder time of the 20th century. Tibet??s poverty relief program followed soon after, which required that governments at every level of the region pour all the financial, material and man power necessary in helping the 480,000 poor Tibetans get out of poverty in six years. The campaign worked smoothly with the combined efforts of the government and ordinary people. From 1994 to the end of 1997, the population in poverty dropped from 480,000 to 210,000, while the number of poor counties was reduced from 22 to nine. Demographically, the poor population of Tibet is concentrated in three areas of the region ?? the northern foothills of the Himalayas, central section of Tibet where farming and pastoral areas meet, and the Hengduan Mountain Range in eastern Tibet. Because of the harsh environment for living and production, these areas are notorious for primitive living conditions, with the per capita net income of local rural residents being less than 500 yuan per year, far from enough for basic necessities. This poverty relief campaign was designed to help the poor population by improving the living and production environment so as to create better conditions in which they could change their lives by their own efforts. Public projects were financially supported by government and participated in by the local people with labor work, which included improving and rebuilding farmland, grassland and irrigation facilities, developing forestry, fruit growing and processing, animal husbandry, and a Tibetan-style handicraft industry. Building primary and middle schools and opening technical training classes were also regarded as important measures. In 1996 and 1997 alone, 246 projects were carried out with a combined investment by both the central and local governments, which totaled 410 million yuan. With these newly-built agricultural infrastructure projects available, 9,700 hectares of low- and medium-yield farmland were transformed into high-yielding fields, 4,000 hectares of wasteland reclaimed, 53,000 hectare of grassland built, and 62 ditches stretching for 700 km and 37 drinking water systems for human and animals constructed. These provided a necessary foundation for local people??s efforts to get out of poverty. The majority of the Tibetan poor live in the areas with terrible natural condition, lacking arable land, grassland, water resources and suffering from frequent natural disasters. Hence, the final measure to wipe out local poverty may mean moving residents to other places with better living and production conditions. In Gyangze County, for example, the government has helped 41 households move from deep mountains to a development zone along the Nyang Qu River in recent years, where their food and clothing problems have been easily solved. While the government funded a major proportion of the moving expenditure, the households provided a small part. By 1997, the Xigaze government helped 326 households with 2,119 people to move, enabling 76 percent to quickly get out of poverty. Recently, many rural Tibetans have begun attributing poor living conditions to their large families and have sought to local government for help requiring that the medical departments of the government provide them with contraceptives. In Rinbung County, a part of the county government??s poverty relief plan is to encourage later marriage, later child-bearing and healthy reproduction. In the past couple of years, along with moving out of poverty, the county has held its population increase under 12 per thousand. While enjoying direct investment and loans rendered by the central government, Tibet will keep benefiting from a number of preferential policies. For example, Tibetan poor rural households are exempted from the duty to sell grain to the state; they receive subsidies regularly for purchasing chemical fertilizer, pesticide, plastic films for agricultural use and so forth; and the expenses for development projects in Tibet??s poverty-stricken areas are supported by government budget. Besides, inter-provincial and inter-city projects aimed at helping Tibet will continue. For these provinces and cities, helping the target cities or areas in Tibet to get out of poverty is a part of their own economic and social development plan, so that they guarantee that people in the two places will walk hand-in-hand in striving for a better life. Inflation
rate: Unemployment
rate: Revenues: 364 million yuan (1998) Industrial output value: 1.28 billion yuan (1998) Agricultural output value: 2.24 billion yuan (1998) Foreign
trade By the end of 1998, the region??s total imports and exports stood at US$120 million. It has taken advantage of state preferential policies to actively expand exports of animal by-products, local traditional handicrafts and some other industrial products. State-run foreign trade enterprises have expanded their operations and border trade markets have developed. Presently, Tibet has become China's doorway to South Asian continues. Foreign
investment At the end of 1998, the number of registered foreign-funed enterprises totaled 74. Foreign investors came from the United States, Japan, Germany, Malaysia, Nepal, Macao, and Hong Kong. International
aid programs Since 1981, UNDP has provided US$ 4 million for the construction of the Yangbajain geothermal power plant. In 1989, UN's WFP provided financial aid for comprehensive agricultural development projects geared to drought resistance and prevention and improving irrigation conditions in the four counties of the Lhasa River valley, all of which has already been used. The UNICEF provided US$ 3.22 million in aid for ten projects including health centers for women and children. In 1995 the UNDP decided to provide US$ 822,000 in aid to four counties of Nyalam, Tingri, Dinggye and Gyirong in the Qomolangma Nature Reserve in western Tibet for projects involving agriculture, housing, school, wind power and household handicraft production. Pillar
industries Tibet??s pillar industries involve mining, farming, animal husbandry, traditional handicraft, forestry and tourism industries.
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IV.
Telecommunications
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Telephones:
59,166
subscribers (1998) Radio and TV stations: 2 radio stations and 2 TV stations (1994) |
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V.
Transportation
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Railways The
first phase of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was completed in the early 1980s
and is now carrying both cargo and passengers. Running 846.9 kilometers
from Xining, the capital city of Qinghai, in the east to Golmud in western
Qinghai, the line is built at more than 3,000 meters above sea level on
average, rising to 3,700 meters at its highs. Highways
Today, a 22,000-kilometer highway network radiating from Lhasa
consisting of 15 main highways and 315 subsidiary roads has been formed.
Most important are the Qinghai-Tibet Highway runs 2,122 kilometers from
Xining to Lhasa. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway covers 2,413 kilometers from
Chengdu to Lhasa. The Xinjiang-Tibet Highway, from Yecheng to Gartok,
runs for 1,179 kilometers. The Yunnan-Tibet Highway, from Xiaguan to Markam,
is 315 kilometers long, while the Chinese section of the Sino-Nepalese
Highway stretches 736 kilometers from Lhasa to Zhamu entry/exit port.
Airports
The Lhasa Airport has scheduled fights to Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. The distance by air from Lhasa to Chengdu is more than 1,100 kilometres. Each year more than 100,000 passengers and 1,600 tons of goods fly this route. The Gonggar Airport outside Lhasa now allows access to large passenger aircraft like Boeing 767. The 250-million-yuan Banda Airport, the world's highest, was completed in September 1994.
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VI.
Projects wanting foreign investment
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???? The government
of Tibet Autonomous Region welcomes foreign investment in energy, transportation,
architecture, light industry, textiles, machinery and electronics, commerce,
food, aquaculture, processing, tourism and in the development of agriculture,
forestry and animal husbandry.
Foreign investors may establish wholly-owned enterprises and
joint ventures or join in economic and technological cooperation. Medium-
and long-term investment projects and high-yield development projects
are particularly welcome.
The regional government also encourages individual entrepreneurs and private enterprises to start Sino-foreign-funded and Sino-foreign cooperative enterprises and join in business involving material processing, processing with supplied samples, parts processing and compensation trade as well as border trade |
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VII.
Favorable policies for foreign investment
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Legal
Guarantee
The regional
government gives foreign-invested projects priority through each step
of the formation process in planning, project approval, provision of capital,
construction start-up, establishment of the business itself and registration.
The regional government protects the legitimate rights of
foreign businessmen according to law. Foreign business people with an
interest in a wholly-owned enterprise or a joint venture may empower friends
or relatives in China to act as their agent regarding that interest provided
that they have legally valid power of attorney; likewise, they may transfer
possession or distribute in succession the said interest. When a foreign
businessperson decides to cede his interest to the Chinese government
for compensation or when the state proceeding from public interest requires
the appropriation of that interest, such actions will be taken through
legal procedures and appropriate compensation given.
In case of disagreements arising during the performance of
a contract or other contract related disputes involving a foreign businessperson,
the concerned parties should make their best efforts to seek a negotiated
settlement. If any of the concerned parties refuse the negotiated settlement
or if a settlement can not be reached, the foreign businessperson may
petition the Trade Arbitration Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region
for arbitration. With the consent of all parties to the contract, application
may be made to national or provincial-level arbitration organizations
in China or to international arbitration organizations.
Land
Use
Foreign
businesspeople who invest in Tibet can buy building property and land-use
rights for terms ranging from 50 to 70 years. A wholly foreign funded
enterprise with a period of operation exceeding ten years is exempt from
city land-use tax during the approved construction period if it occupies
state-owned land and from cultivated land occupation taxes if it occupies
cultivated land. During the eight years following the start of operations
it will pay half of normal land use taxes. Enterprises with a period of
operation less than ten years occupying cultivated land are exempt from
cultivated land occupation taxes and from city land occupation taxes during
the period of construction. Joint ventures, Sino-foreign cooperative enterprises
and other joint operations using a site currently under the control of
a Chinese partner or newly occupying approved state-owned land, are exempt
from city land-use taxes during the approved construction period and,
if they occupy cultivated land, from cultivated land occupation taxes.
They are further exempted from land-use taxes for eight years following
the start of operations. Production-type foreign-invested enterprises
receive preferential treatment regarding land use fees.
Mining
Tibet
exercises a compensable development of resources according to law. With
the approval of the regional government, all mineral resources not specifically
excluded by state statute can be exploited by foreign businesspeople.
The foreign entity may participate in a joint venture or a cooperative
enterprise or operate as wholly foreign-owned enterprise in prospecting
and mining. China's "Mineral Resources Law" and "Provisions
for Mineral Resources Compensation Levies and Their Management" state
that resources tax and resources compensation are to be collected from
all miners regardless of their economic status or form of operation or
the type of mineral resource exploited (including, e.g., geothermal energy,
sandstone used in brick and tile making, sand shale used in building,
clay, granite and marble).
Import-export
trade
The government
encourages and supports Tibetan enterprises and joint ventures which choose
to set up sole proprietorships or joint operations in neighboring counties
to produce goods for sale exclusively outside China using raw materials,
semi-manufactured goods or technical facilities from within or without
the region. Foreign trade enterprises are permitted to swap imported goods
with other provinces and regions in China for materials needed for engineering
construction, production or daily life in Tibet. The Foreign Economic
Relations and Trade Bureau of Tibet Autonomous Region is authorized to
issue permits setting import and export commodity quotas with approval
of the responsible state-level department, in addition to commodities
exported under unified state management through tender offer and commodities
imported by state-stipulated specialized companies.
Border
trade
All goods,
whether produced by enterprises in Tibet, other provinces of China or
other countries, can be sold in border markets. Permits for import and
export commodities can be obtained from local border trade administrative
departments authorized by the Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Bureau
of Tibet Autonomous Region. Commodities imported at border markets can
be sold elsewhere in China after approval by the government of Tibet Autonomous
Region.
Taxation
Industrial
and commercial taxes, income tax and customs tax are reduced or remitted
to varying degrees depending on the amount invested by the foreign businessperson,
type of product produced and length of investment. Earnings from a production-type
enterprise set up by a foreign businessperson in Tibet are subject to
a ten percent business earnings tax beginning the first year the enterprise
shows a profit: the enterprise is exempt from local taxes on earnings.
Production-type enterprises working in energy, transportation, agriculture
or animal husbandry with a period of operations in excess of ten years
are exempted from business earnings taxes for the first five years after
they show a profit; business earnings taxes are then paid at a 50 percent
discount for the subsequent three years. Enterprises engaging in processing
agricultural or animal by-products or other processing or the manufacture
of traditional handicrafts and tourist commodities with a period of operation
in excess of ten years are exempted from taxes on earnings from the first
four years after showing a profit: taxes on earnings then receive a 50
percent discount for the next two years. Tour smelted enterprises capitulated
with an investment of over US$ 5 million or RMB 30 million yuan with a
period of operation in excess of ten years are exempted from taxes on
earning for three years after showing a profit, receiving a 50 percent
discount on taxes on earnings the following year. Enterprise that do not
meet the above descended standards are exempted from taxes on earnings
for the first two years of operation and receive a 50 percent discount
on taxes on earnings for their third year.
Foreign business entities that do not maintain a physical
presence in Tibet but receive stock dividends, interest, rents, proprietary
right use fees or other revenues from Tibet pay a seven percent tax on
earnings, unless legally exempt. If a foreign businessperson reinvests
profits earned from a business in Tibet in another operation in Tibet
or use profits to expand production for a period no less than five years,
he will be returned all his tax already paid on earnings from his investment.
He pays all other taxes than those on earnings as other enterprises of
the same type in Tibet do.
Foreign businesspersons are permitted to use RMB in place
of foreign exchange for tax payments. When a foreign businessperson remits
his profits or when a foreign staff member remits his personal income
outside of China, he will be exempted from income tax on the remitted
amount. Any enterprise with exports revenue accounting for more than 50
percent of sales revenue in a given year will receive a 50 percent discount
on taxes on earnings for that year, in addition to the above exemptions
and reduced rates. That portion of a foreign business entity's investment
that goes for machinery, equipment, building materials, miscellaneous
parts and components used in the enterprise is exempt from import taxes
and the industrial and commercial consolidated tax. Likewise, reasonable
quantities of imported office appliances, household items and vehicles
for the foreign businessperson's own use are exempt from import taxes
and the industrial and commercial consolidated tax; such articles do not
require an import permit, only customs inspection.
Imported raw materials, accessory materials, packing materials,
miscellaneous parts and components used in manufacturing or processing
products exclusively for export are exempt from import taxes and the industrial
and commercial consolidated tax. If only a portion of such goods produced
are for export, that portion of imported materials and parts used for
export production is exempt from import taxes and the industrial and commercial
consolidated tax, while the remaining portion used for goods sold in China
receives a 50 percent discount on import taxes and the industrial and
commercial consolidated tax.
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