Summary:The Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative is a milestone project in the 21st Century, and it is of great significance for Tibet to participate. Because of its peculiar geographical advantages as a border region, Tibet plays a vital strategic role in construction of the initiative. The region, focusing on the B&R Initiative, will promote work in such aspects as policy deployment, infrastructure construction, trades, financial services and people-to-people communications in the future so as to build itself into an important opening gateway to the South Asia.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (the B&R Initiative) is an important strategy proposed by the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council based on the global economic trend and home and international situations. It is of great significance for our country to form a new era of all-round opening to the world, realize the rejuvenation of Chinese nation and promote the world's peaceful development. The CPC Central Committee has said at the sixth meeting on the work of Tibet that "Tibet is an important gateway for the opening to South Asia." The strategic deployment, made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council judging from home and international development trends, as well as the inherent rules and periodical characteristics of the economic and social development in Tibet, is the supplement for Tibet's strategic positioning in addition to its positions as the national security barrier, ecological safety barrier, strategic resource reserve base, plateau agricultural product base, base to protect culture with Chinese characteristics, and destination for world tourism. The B&R Initiative is a milestone project in the 21st Century, and it is of great significance for Tibet to participate.

1. The positions and roles of Tibet in B&R Initiative

Because its particular geographical positions, special ethnic environment, sophistic surroundings and its resource advantages, Tibet is vital for the security, ecological safety and the economic and social development in China.

First is its peculiar geographical advantages. Lying at the southwestern border in China, Tibet covers a total area of 1.2 million square km, or one eighth of the country's territory. It is a major part of "the roof of the world" connecting provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan and Qinghai, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at the southwest and northwest. Serving as a natural barrier in China's southwest and northwest, Tibet has a length of more than 4,000 km of land frontier line, which borders India, Nepal and other countries and regions. It is an important hub linking China to the world, a vital gateway for China to communicate with South Asian countries, and the frontier to maintain national unity and security. All-round opening and the building of a national passageway to the South Asia is an inevitable trend for Tibet in its opening and reform in the next round.

Second is its position in border development. Ancient Asian civilizations met in Tibet. In the ancient times, there were two major routes in the region, including the road of Tubo to India and Kashmir via Ali, and another to Nepal and India via Nyalam. Other regional paths also helped promote trade exchanges between Tibet and South Asia. The Ancient Tubo Road, dating back as early as the Han Dynasty, connected central China, Qinghai and Tibet. It was then the only way for people from central China to Nepal and India via Qinghai and Tibet. Starting from Xi'an (or Chang'an as called in the past), Shaanxi Province, the road passed by Gansu and Qinghai to Lhasa of Tibet, with a total length of over 3,000 km. Dubbed "the South Silk Road," the ancient route traversed through the entire western part of China, including the renowned "the roof of the world," connecting to our neighbors in the southwest. In recent years, Tibetan products have become popular in South Asian market, including agricultural and livestock products, minerals, traditional Chinese medicine, local specialties and artifacts. They are not only favored in South Asian countries like India and Nepal, but have also won market share in the European and American countries. Among the popular products are over 500 kinds of Tibetan herbs, such as caterpillar fungus, snow lotus, rhodiola, fritillary and gastrodia. The fame of products featuring Tibetan characteristics in South Asian market have contributed to the region‘s development in the B&R Initiative and the economic rim of Himalaya Mountains. Participation in the B&R Initiative will greatly boost construction of economic corridor of Bengal, China, India and Myanmar, and the Himalayan economic belt. During the process, Tibet will play an important role as an frontier, a gateway and a base of the country.

Third is its objective conditions to join in the B&R Initiative. Since the opening and reform policy, especially over the past five years, Tibet has seen great improvement in its infrastructure as well as sharp foreign trade hikes under the care of the Central government and the assistance from other provinces and cities. With four international ports and one bilateral port currently in the region, Tibet has kept close trade exchanges with South Asian countries, and is an important border region for the nation's opening and development, a passageway to the South Asia, and a northern gate for the economic corridor of Bengal, China, India and Myanmar. In addition, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has also opened a land route that leads to the South Asian Subcontinent,which enables trade exchanges between China and South Asian countries directly by land and helps with construction of the B&R Initiative in Tibet.

Meanwhile, we should also have to realize that the industrial development in Tibet is not balanced: The first industry is underdeveloped, the second mostly resource-consuming and labor-extensive, while the third, to a large extent, relying on consumption with weak commercial service facilities and inferior capacity for urban business sectors to radiate their influence to the surrounding areas. These industries are loosely linked, with industry chains short. The border trade amount in the region is also small. Therefore, to build Tibet into a vital gateway to the South Asia is a major component for the B&R Initiative, and also an opportunity for the region to speed up opening and development. It is advantageous in pushing the country's all-round opening to a new height, widening the region‘s opening to the rest of China and to the world, and expediting development for plateau-featured industries, which is of profound strategic significance for the long-term development and stability in Tibet.

2. Guidelines of Tibet to promote the B&R Initiative in the 13th-Five-Year Plan

In accordance with the region's economic and social development plan over the next five years, construction of our region will be based on the national strategies of "Five Development Concepts" and "Four Comprehensives," with Lhasa as its center and Xigaze as frontier. Taking advantages of the neighboring economic regions of Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Sichuan and Chongqing, the region will foster the Himalayan economic cooperation belt, join in the construction of economic corridor of Bengal, China, India and Myanmar, and promote communication, cooperation, mutual benefits and infrastructure connections with the neighboring area so as to build a vital national gateway to the South Asia. To join in the B&R Initiative, our region will be engaged in the following aspects of work:

First is to strengthen policy deployment. We will actively implement the policies of customs clearance reform made by the State Council and reinforce construction of single window service and information sharing system to facilitate trade exchanges. We will improve the negative list system, gradually expand foreign investment sectors, make available the government purchase market at the free trade zone, and foster a business environment of marketization, internationalization and legalization. A comprehensive bonded zone in Lhasa and Xigaze will be explored to be built. Efforts will also be made to enhance cooperation with Chinese embassies and consulates overseas to provide outward investment and legal consultations for enterprises in our region. An effective cooperation system with South Asian countries will be established to boost communications in animal and plant quarantine. We will also help our country to forge a "pilgrimage diplomacy" with India, promote a mechanism for local officials of the two countries to meet regularly, and gradually solve the problem of unilateral trade list restrictions from India at Natoi Pass, Yadong County. The region will also strive to win the support from the central government so as to establish a commodity list for border trade in Tibet Autonomous Region.

Second is to speed up infrastructure construction. We will speed up building a comprehensive modern transportation system combing land, rail and air routes, perfecting the land paths and air corridors to South Asia so as to connecting the region's infrastructure facilities with those in the neighboring countries and regions. By promoting key projects, the region will strive to upgrade the national-level roads to expressways, and the provincial-level roads to a higher class. Areas with no access to roads or with traffic bottleneck will be priorities to improve the connectivity of the road traffic.Railway lines to South Asia will also be built, and railway construction will be expedited at the Gyirong Port. General aviation development will also be encouraged and emergency response landing bases will be built. The region will also strengthen cooperation in energy pipeline and fiber cable construction.

Third is to boost trades. We will optimize the layout of our ports, speed up upgrading and e-port construction of second-class ports like Yadong, promote construction of Gyirong border economic cooperation zone, and support Gyirong build a national pilot zone for development and opening. We will improve the facilities at ports, such as Gyirong, Burang and Riwo, traditional sites and gateways for border trades. The project of Zham port control project will be facilitated. The function of Lhasa as an airport will be boosted. With the advantages of rich resources, we will develop featured products for trading and gradually increase the export share of hi-tech and high-value-added products and trades in services. A (Tibet) research center for standards of South Asian countries is expected to be built to provide standardized technical support for the exports of Chinese technology, equipment, projects, products and services. We will also encourage domestic trade and logistic enterprises to settle in Tibet to speed up construction of the trade and logistic system. A trade and logistic network composed of knots of different functional orientations is expected to cover the region and even the South Asian market, so as to turn Tibet into a trade and logistic center to South Asian countries by land.

Fourth is to promote financial services. The Export-Import Bank of China, national joint-equity commercial banks and insurance companies are welcomed to set up branches in Tibet. We will guide and encourage banks to develop overseas business so that financial services will be available for Tibetan enterprises that invest overseas and join in construction of the B&R Initiative. Efforts will be made to instruct financial institutions to optimize their credit structure to better support enterprises going abroad. Financial institutions are also encouraged to innovate their credit products and loan audit patterns, and provide diversified services such as equity financing, loans pledged by export accounts receivable, export and import credit and loans pledged by overseas assets. We would like to strengthen financial communications and cooperation with our neighboring countries, speed up RMB settlement, and develop services to exchange currencies like U.S. dollars, Nepalese and Indian rupees. The Bank of Tibet is also encouraged to set up branches in Sichuan, Qinghai and other provinces and cities offering pairing-assistance to Tibet.

Last is to enhance people-to-people communications. We will try to reinforce the economic, cultural and personnel exchanges with South Asian countries like Nepal eyeing gradual opening of the region. Based on the target of a world tourism destination and the loading capacity for the environment and the resources, we will establish a regional tourism plan, supporting the construction of Lhasa as an international cultural tourism destination, Nyingchi as ecological resort, Gangdise as international tourism cooperation zone, and Lunang as a township destination to hold international conferences. The region will improve overseas travel policies with simpler application process, and explore visa-free and arrival visa travels among other more convenient ways for traveling abroad. Integrated development of culture-featured industries and tourism sectors will be promoted and special quality tourism products are to be developed. We will strive to help with development of tourism, catering, accommodation, entertainment and finance sectors in Tibet by expanding the roles of China Tibet International Tourism and Culture Fair (Tibet Fair) as a platform in commodity display, business talks, technical cooperation and cultural exchanges. The Tibet Fair and other festivals, such as Shoton, Mount Qomolangma Culture and Tourism Festival and Yalong Cultural Festival, are planned to be well linked in the region. With the assistance of its partner provinces and cities, Tibet will actively attract participation of more countries and regions from South Asia and develop the Tibet Fair into a comprehensive platform of international influence, national participation and regional engine that drives local development.

(Xu Jingzhe, deputy director of Development and Reform Commission, Tibet Autonomous Region)