Tibet Autonomous Region Chairman Qiangba Puncog met with a visiting Indian
commercial and trade delegation?in Lhasa, capital of southwest
China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Saturday
evening.
The seven-member delegation arrived in Lhasa, on Saturday
afternoon to negotiate with China the reopening of the Natu La Pass
border market which has been closed for more than 40 years.
Qiangba said Tibet has achieved rapid economic growth, with the
annual GDP growth above 12 percent in the past five years, which is
higher than the country's average.
At the same time, Tibet has improved its infrastructure, said
the chairman, stressing that the Qinghai-Tibet Railway will help
Tibet's opening to the outside. The railway is scheduled to undergo
trail operations beginning on July 1.
Qiangba said China and India's friendship has a long history and
the economic and trade cooperation between the two nations have
been close in recent years.
He said the Chinese government attaches great importance to
bilateral economic and trade cooperation and is preparing for
reopening the border market at Natu La Pass.
Christy Fernandez, head of the delegation, who is also the
Secretary of Department of Commerce of Government of India, said
India is expecting more open bilateral trade with China. The Natu
La Pass is 4,545 meters above sea level, and is 460 kilometers away
from Lhasa and 550 kilometers from the Indian coastal city of
Calcutta. It used to be an important trade passage between China
and India.
(Xinhua News Agency June 18, 2006)