China to spend $29 billion on roads in Tibetan-populated province

China will spend $29 billion in the next five years to improve road infrastructure in Qinghai province which is located adjacent to the remote Himalayan region of Tibet.

The province, with 90% of its land inhabited by Tibetans, is home to more than 20% of China's total Tibetan population, according to a government census. At an average altitude of 3,000 meters, the province has large areas of frozen soil and mountainous landscape that have restrained road construction on the plateau.

The provincial government spent 38.8 billion yuan on transport in 2016 and annual investment is set to increase in the next five years, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The money, 200 billion yuan (about $ 29 billion), will be primarily used for improving road quality and building extensive road network.

"Muddy lanes, instead of concrete roads, still exist in some of the townships, and roads have not reached some remote villages," said Wang Xiaoli, an official with Qinghai department of transport. "By 2020, the government plans to add 10,000 kilometers of roads connecting all the villages and townships in the province and renovate many of the provincial and national highways.

"Rough roads, dead end highways, and narrow mountain roads, which are often seen at the boundaries of different Tibetan settlements, are among the top priorities in the renovation," Wang said "Better road networks and road quality can facilitate exchanges between local regions and surrounding provinces, which will help more people shake off poverty," Ma Jixiao, head of the transport department of the province said.

China has pushed for better transport infrastructure in Tibetan areas over recent years. From 2011 to 2015, China spent 2.7 trillion yuan in 127 key projects in the west, building 12,000 km of railways and 215,000 km of highways, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, the report said.