Politically motivated Tibet rail link to fulfil Mao's dream

Plans to build a railway into Tibet would fulfil the dreams of Mao Zedong, who twice ordered a construction project to begin. In 1956, progress was aborted before the Great Famine in which 30 million are believed to have died. In 1974, the ambitious project was scuttled amid the chaos of the Cultural Revolution.

But Premier Zhu Rongji, in announcing the State Council's approval of the railway on Thursday, believes things will be different. 'After more than 20 years of reform and opening up, the overall strength of China has been greatly increased and we have the economic power to build the line,' he said.

'After many years of scientific research and engineering experiments, we have feasible proposals to solve the technical problems of building at such a high altitude.'

The route will cover 1,118km - from Golmud in Qinghai province over the mountains to Lhasa - running close to an existing road between the two cities that remains the only all-year link between Tibet and the rest of China.

The project, which is expected to become the world's highest railway, will involve about 30km of tunnels, allowing a maximum speed of 100km/h, and be able to carry eight million tonnes of cargo a year.

Commercial considerations are only of secondary importance in Beijing's decision to build the new line. Above all, the railway will serve political objectives in binding the restive region to the rest of China and crush the independence movement.

Mr Zhu's speech to the cabinet left no doubt as to the political dimensions of the project. 'This is a very important strategic decision, which will accelerate the economic development of Tibet, encourage economic and cultural ties between Tibet and the rest of China and strengthen the unity of the races,' Mr Zhu said.