A bridge under construction in Sangri County (XINHUA)

Located at the breathless roof of the world, Lhasa was host to the Tibet Development Forum, which sought to discuss ways to further the region's progress. The forum, which lasted from July 7 to 8, herded in 130 scholars, business leaders and journalists from all over the world.

After a three-day tour encompassing religious sites, local enterprises and housing-relocation projects, participants absorbed local culture while adapting to the lack of oxygen—Lhasa, capital city of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, sits above the rest of the world at an altitude of 3,490 meters.

The forum, which was organized by the State Council Information Office and the regional government, gave the delegates a chance to talk about Tibet's entrepreneurship and industrial upgrading, environmental protection, the preservation of tradition, infrastructure projects as well as poverty relief efforts.

Among areas of interest at the forum, Tibet's relationship with the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R), ecology, and evolution took center stage during discussions.

Belt and Road

China's efforts to shift from an economy centered on investment and manufacturing to one which is driven by consumption and innovation has led it to reach outward in an effort to open up its economy.

The B&R is part of the modern Silk Road which China seeks to revive in order to boost connectivity and economic collaboration among participating countries in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Tibet is an important component in this initiative, since it is adjacent to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as well as Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Moreover, Tibet borders India, Nepal, Myanmar and Bhutan.

At the forum, Liu Yongfeng, Deputy Director General of the Department of External Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told participants about the importance of Tibet in relation to China's opening-up strategy.

"The B&R Initiative transforms Tibet from the rear and border area of China's opening up, to the forefront, important key hub. In general, there are many favorable conditions for its integration into the B&R," she wrote in a statement.

According to Liu, Tibet's integration into the B&R will help to improve transportation infrastructure, upgrade its industries and restructure its economy as well as increase jobs and promote social stability.

"It will also help to align Tibet with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and advance practical cooperation between China and South Asian countries. It will help us to jointly combat drug smuggling, cross-border crimes, terrorism and other trans-national crimes. It will help us build a community of a shared future. Tibet is an important fulcrum of the B&R," she stated.

One of the main aspects of the B&R is its focus on the construction of the infrastructure needed to support it and how it may help China's construction and related industries expand their presence in overseas markets.

Liu echoed similar views, saying, "South Asian countries have rich resources and their infrastructure has yet to be upgraded. They have a huge market potential and labor force. There is a huge demand there which makes them complementary to the Tibetan economy."

Yet many proponents of the initiative focused on other aspects of the B&R. Daniel J. Dudek, Vice President of the Environmental Defense Fund, told Beijing Review during an exclusive interview about the social impact that the B&R may have on the region.

"The bright spots that I see," said Dudek, "are that the B&R is not just a commercial vehicle. It's also a vehicle for transmitting good ideas about how to address environmental protection—to the extent that you have, for example, the Chinese Government promoting that type of initiative—they have a set of responsibilities within the government to develop understanding, coordination, amongst the nations in the region."

One of the challenges that rears its head at the notion of increased development is that China now finds itself in the situation of having competitors in relation to the global economy.

Dudek said that China now must deal with other nations that are host to lower labor costs, so it has concerns about its own loss of comparative advantages in terms of ongoing globalization.

Despite this assessment, Liu was bullish on the prospect of integration and collaboration. "If you look at people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Tibet and the [countries in the] South Asian region share similar languages and culture, and there is a natural bond between the people. We need to fully leverage these strengths and garner more support of the people toward the B&R," said Liu.

Even though forum members were in agreement on the need for Tibet to coordinate itself with the B&R, there is still room for improvement. Liu put forward five areas which she claimed the government should focus on in order to take advantage of the opportunities available—the need for all dimensional transportation, integrated trade, the creation of an open and secure financial system, a revamped service system and more people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Environmental challenges

Studies have shown that economic development brings about environmental degradation. The 2009 report, The Environmental Effects of International Trade, published by Harvard University, found that trade and growth can affect measures of environmental degradation, particularly that of carbon dioxide emissions.

At the world's "third pole," concerns about maintaining Tibet's environment in pristine condition were often iterated. Dudek, who also sits on the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, said that there should also be some kind of more common approach to environmental protection in the region.

"The bar should be raised in terms of domestic environmental initiatives within the nations surrounding China. So I think it's a very positive thing that China is not only thinking in this way but actively promoting environmental protection outside its own borders," he said, referring to the impact of the B&R.

In terms of the environmental obstacles which Tibet must overcome moving forward, Dudek claimed that implementation is always the big challenge in China, calling for the development of specific guidance for the implementation of environmental laws.

More thought should be put into what should be done to take advantage of the new tools as well as the new directions that are set out in terms of China's environmental legislation, according to Dudek.

"So I think there is something more in the way of a follow-up to actually ensure that the opportunities provided by these reforms are actually translated into on-the-ground action. So this is going to be an ongoing process in China—it really is the key next thing," he said.

How will Tibet handle modernization while maintaining its natural appeal—one of its economic growth drivers and a tourist attraction—intact?

"One of the ways to sustain that is to take extra effort not to just do what is allowed under the legislation, not to just take a business-as-usual approach, but really to say 'OK, we have this asset, we really do want to protect it, so let's do this evaluation, let's consider the impacts, and let's make sure that whatever is done uses the best available control technology,'" said Dudek.

"I think we should think about really minimizing the environmental footprint of the investment going on here, and that's the way to sustain the long-term environmental competitiveness of Tibet," he added.

Work in progress

Moving forward in line with China's development goals, some of the forum's participants looked back at the road that Tibetans have walked and made distinctions between the past and present.

Harvard University's Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp, a professor of Tibetan studies and Chair of Inner Asian and Altaic Studies, told Beijing Review in an exclusive interview about his experiences in Tibet since he first visited in 1982.

"The social and economic improvements have been tremendous over the last 34 years. Lhasa has changed dramatically. I couldn't have recognized it if I hadn't been going to Lhasa in the intervening years for about another 20 times or so," he said.

Still, Kuijp outlined some challenges and areas for improvement that the government could follow.

"Chinese scholars of Tibetan studies should be engaged in more international exchanges such as travelling abroad and taking part in conferences. This would greatly help, not only the view that people have of China, but also help out the development of Tibetan studies in general and for China as a whole."

Kuijp also hopes that at one point in time, archive material on Tibet can be made more freely available.

The professor nonetheless said that the well-being of the people in Tibet has increased, and that the people have a much better livelihood than before.

Bianzhen, 20, is a student at Tibet University in Lhasa. She agreed with Kuijp's assessment, telling Beijing Review that before, when she lived in the countryside, her family had no money to send her to school. Now, she said, "We don't pay any money for school, so now we have more chances to study."

Bianzhen said that when she graduates she wants to become a teacher.

Laba Dunzhu, 21, who studies applied mathematics at the university, told Beijing Review that he also has a chance to study more in order to achieve his dreams.

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Copyedited by Chris Surtees

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