Beijing, January 24 - The Chinese Government newspaper, Xinhau, has reported that Chinese geologists have discovered 16 large copper, iron, lead and zinc ore deposits along the Gulmod-Tibet Railway route (also known as the Qinghai-Tibet Railway) since 1999.

It was reported that geologists from the Ministry of Land and Resources initially found five non-ferrous metal deposits along the 1,956-kilometer railway with total possible reserves of more than 20 million tons of copper and 10 million tons of lead and zinc.

The finds include a copper deposit in Qulong, in the Chinese-controlled ‘Tibet Autonomous Region’, with a proved reserve of 7.89 million tons, which would make it second only in size to China’s largest copper mine in Jiangxi Province.

It has also been predicted that possible copper reserves in Qulong could reach 18 million tons, potentially making it the biggest copper deposit in China.

Proposed exploitation of minerals

“Once the three copper deposits are exploited, they will increase the total output of China’s copper mines by almost a third,” said Zhang Hongtao, deputy director of the China Geological Survey.

It is exactly this proposed exploitation of resources which reinforces the concern held by Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, and Tibet supporters over the detrimental environmental and economic impact of the railway on Tibet.

Extraction of unrenewable resources, such as copper, without Tibetan control or involvement leads to little or no benefit to Tibetans. At the same time, Tibet becomes further integrated into the Chinese economy leading to tighter Chinese control over Tibet.

Other mineral desposits located include estimated reserves of 760 million tons of high-grade iron ore found in the Kunglun Mountains on the western Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (in the Tibetan province of Amdo) and southern Xinjiang Province, which the Gormod-Tibet Railway crosses.

Further, favorable conditions for oil and gas reserves have also been found in Northern Tibet.

Chinese experts say that exploration and exploitation of mineral resources along the railway is significant to the railway’s efficient use, regional economic development and meeting China’s ever growing resource demands.