"We hope that multilateral and bilateral cooperative projects can be extended in the years to come to upgrade the development of the Tibet Autonomous Region," said Long Yongtu, vice-minister of foreign trade and economic cooperation. "Mutual understanding and trust could also be consolidated through further cooperation and view exchanging."

The vice-minister made the remarks on Tuesday in Beijing at the ongoing seminar on International Cooperation in Tibet.

Representatives from more than 21 countries and regions, four international organizations and 14 non-governmental organizations attended the two-day event.

"Now that China has gained membership to the World Trade Organization, new opportunities for cooperation can be identified and additional ways and means adopted to address the challenges facing Tibet," said Kerstin Leitner, resident representative of UNDP China.

"We will focus on several key aspects such as poverty alleviation, environmental protection, tourism and talents training in the coming years," said Nima Ciren, vice-chairman of the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The government also launched 257 projects to attract foreign and domestic investment.

Tibet's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 13.9 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion), up 12.8 percent from the previous year.

(China Daily June 26, 2002)