What’s the hottest place in China? Tibet, it seems. Last year officials predicted the number of visitors to the remote, mountainous region would rise by 44% over 2005. The reason is the rail line that was complete last year, the first to link Tibet to the rest of the country. Now it seems those debates about whether the train would bring important economic development to the region or destroy its unique environment and culture are being played out. Yesterday I wrote a piece about large new mineral finds reported on the Tibetan plateau. Without the rail line it wouldn’t make economic sense to mine them, but now that’s a possibility. And today the Financial Times has a (subscriber only) story about a luxury hotel boom in Lhasa that has been fueled by the growth in tourism.
Now that the rail line is in operation, the debate over whether it will be a good or bad thing has been overtaken by events. People are coming, and Tibet’s economy is growing. There’s no arguing that. If there’s one thing the various sides should be able to agree upon, it’s that the development in Tibet should be carried out so as to benefit everyone.