Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region plans to spend about 3 billion yuan (about US$ 361 million) on improving transportation facilities and constructing highways in its rural areas.

By the end of this year, rural people in 60 villages and 20 townships will benefit from the investment project, which will connect them with the outside world via new roads.

During the 10th Five-Year Plan Period (2001-2005) ,the region will spend a total of 12 billion yuan (about 1.45 billion U.S. dollars) on 51 highway construction and technology projects, with the aim of opening roads and highways across 80 percent of counties and townships in Tibet.

Last year, the region invested 1.81 billion yuan (US$ 218 million) in rural road construction in over 100 villages, increasing its rural road length by 800 km.

At the same time, part of the investment was used to reconstruct many national and inter-provincial highways within theregion.

However, the road coverage of the Tibetan rural area was still low, said a local transportation official, adding that while increasing road length, the region would make greater efforts to improve road standards.

( People's Daily April 9, 2002 )