24 October 2006
TAR’s foreign trade grows
(Xinhua) According to official figures released by the Tibet Autonomous Region’s (TAR) government, the total value of the TAR’s imports and exports reached US$200 million (UK£105m; EUR€157m) in the first nine months of 2006, a year-on-year increase of 49 percent. Exports hit US$143 million (UK£75.4m; EUR€112.4m) from January to September, up 32.6 percent on the same period in 2005, while imports reached US$57 million (UK£30m; EUR€44.8m), up 116 percent. "The Qinghai-Tibet railway and the reopening of trading markets on the China-India border were key factors for the boom", said an official spokesperson from the regional government. Imports and exports via the Renqinggang (near the Nathu La pass) border market in Tibet have reached 1.49 million Yuan (US$186,000; UK£98,000; EUR€146,174) since it opened in early July 2006.