Tibet's economy grows at 12.1 per cent

Tibet's economy grew at a healthy 12.1 per cent annual rate last year, 4.4 per cent higher than China's overall GDP growth in 2013.
The gross domestic product (GDP) of Tibet reached 80.767 billion yuan (USD 13.19 billion) last year, almost double that of 2009, according to the regional statistics bureau.
Its increasing growth rate was in contrast to the slump in the Chinese economy, which grew at 7.7 per cent last year.
"Tibet has maintained double-digit growth for 21 consecutive years," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Liu Baicheng, head of the regional statistics bureau, as saying.
The per capita net income of farmers and herdsmen in the region hit 6,578 yuan (USD 1,100) in 2013, up 15 per cent year on year.

The per capita disposable income of urban residents increased 11.1 per cent year on year to reach 20,023 yuan.
While China highlights the remote Himalayan region's economic growth, which picked up because of huge investments in infrastructure and social development projects in the last decade, the political situation remains sensitive.
Many incidents of self immolations happened in different parts of the province, which Chinese overseas groups say, were aimed at demanding the return of the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama.