The National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top law-making body, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top advisory body, are currently holding their annual sessions in Beijing. The following are excerpts from speeches by NPC deputies and CPPCC members on current issues.

Building railway

Lobsang Gyaincain, an NPC deputy and mayor of Lhasa:

Construction of the Qinghai-Tibet railway is conducive to economic development in the Tibet Autonomous Region and should be started at the earliest possible date.

Tibet is the last region in China with no access to railways and the absence of a modern transpor system has impeded economic development in the region.

At present, per capita income in Tibet is only half the national average. The majority of goods for daily use and materials for production needed by Tibet must be transported from the interior areas of the country. Inconvenient traffic has increased the cost of transporting goods both to and from Tibet.

The 1,100-kilometre Qinghai-Tibet railway, running from Golmud in Qinghai Province to Lhasa, will be the highest elevation railway ever built. The project is expected to play an important role in enhancing exchanges between ethnic groups, bolstering the exploitation of resources, reinforcing economic development in western China and consolidating national security.

Tibetan deputies to the earlier Eighth NPC advanced, on behalf of local people in Tibet, a proposal on building a railway connecting Tibet with other parts of the country.

The railway will bring modern concepts and living styles into Tibet, but this should pose no threat to people's religious beliefs. In Western countries with developed science, technology and transport systems, don't religions still flourish?

People in Tibet are in the process of preparing for the construction of the railway.

We hope the project's launch ceremony will be held in Lhasa.

From: China Daily