In 2001, the Chinese Government launched the Gormo-Lhasa Railway project (Quinghai-Tibet). The controversial rail link is a politically driven project, which is a cornerstone of China’s efforts to tighten its control over Tibet.

Construction of the Golmud-Lhasa railway is a decision that has been imposed on the Tibetan people and Tibetans inside and outside Tibet are strongly opposed to it.

There are several detrimental effects of this railway: it threatens to increase environmental pressure on the high-altitude ecosystem, bolster China’s military strength in the region and facilitate the entry of large numbers of Chinese settlers onto Tibetan lands, further marginalising Tibetans socially and economically.

Tibetans are not fundamentally opposed to development in Tibet. They do want to see an end to the decades of poverty and deprivation they have suffered under the Chinese occupation. However, the Golmud-Lhasa railway, a major component of China’s “Western Development Plan”, presents a serious threat to the survival of Tibetans as a distinct people. The use of the term “development” in the title is misleading, as it infers a benefit to the Tibetan people. In reality, China’s motivation for the railway is to consolidate control over Tibet, at a great cost to the Tibetan people and the environment.

The railway will serve China’s political goals by increasing economic migration into Tibet, thus further diluting the Tibetan population and threating the survival of the Tibetan culture. Before he left office, the former President of China, Jiang Zemin, said of the Golmud-Lhasa railway, “Some people have advised me not to go ahead with this project because it is not commercially viable. I said this is a political decision.” [New York Times, 10 August 2001]. The railway will also further distort the labour opportunities within the Tibean economy, favouring Chinese settlers while disadvantaging Tibetans. Already, of the 38,000 railway-related jobs open to workers, only 6,000 are held by Tibetans [LA Times, 29 October 2003].

The opportunity for increased militarisation of Tibet presented by the railway is of great concern. The railway will improve military manoeuvrability, enable rapid troop deployments, facilitate the expansion of People’s Liberation Army bases and potentially increase nuclear weapons stockpiles, air force and missile deployments. This not only strengthens China’s grip on Tibet but poses a threat to India, thereby increasing regional instability. The Chinese government itself has touted the railway as a means of transport for troops, saying that not only will the railway improve the efficiency of the army, but the army will improve the efficiency of the railway. [Xinhuanet, 10 December 2003]

The railway poses a variety of threats to Tibet’s environment. Included are the escalation of mineral and resource exploitation, damage to wildlife, disruption of migration patterns, soil erosion and contamination of water bodies including the Yangtse, Salween and Mekong rivers. It is alarming that Tibetans are denied any decision-making role in a project that so profoundly effects their environment and livelihood.

A project of this magnitude requires open dialogue and the informed consent of all stakeholders. However, some of the most important stakeholders - the Tibetan people - are unable to express their views: in Tibet, freedom of speech is limited and civil opposition to government initiatives is criminalised.

In 2000, an independent World Bank inspection panel visited an area in Tibet where China had conducted social impact assessments, apparently to World Bank standards, for a resettlement project to be funded by a World Bank loan. The inspection panel found residents to be living in a “climate of fear”, which effectively discredited the assessments, and concluded that the Bank had seriously violated its most important social and environmental policies. After an intense campaign bt Tibet Support Groups the World Bank’s Board rejected management’s recommendations to move forward with the project.

For further information on the impacts of the construction of the railway on the Tibetan plateau and related issues see:

Crossing the Line: China’s Railway to Lhasa, Tibet

The Case Concerning Tibet: Tibet’s Svereignty and the Tibetan People’s Right to Self-Determination

Legal Arguments in Reference to the World Bank’s Proposed China Western Poverty Reduction Project

Racial Discrimination in Chinese Occupied Tibet: A Report submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racisl Discrimination