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Chinese President Hu Jintao (R, front),
who is also general secretary of Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central
Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), shakes
hands with a construction worker of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in a tent at
a construction site of Golmud Railway Station on July 1, 2006. Hu paid a
visit along some sections of the Qinghai-Tibet railway after the launching
ceremony of the railway in Golmud, northwest China's Qinghai Province
Saturday. (Xinhua Photo) |
Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is also
general secretary of Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee and
Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), talks with the
stationmaster of Lhasa Railway Station over a phone during his visit to
Mount Yuzhu railway station at an altitude of 4,159 meters on July 1,
2006. Hu came to Mount Yuzhu railway station after the launching ceremony
of the Qinghai-Tibet railway in Golmud, northwest China's Qinghai Province
Saturday. (Xinhua Photo) |
BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu
Jintao has urged local officials to get hold of the opportunities brought by the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway to
bolster the prosperity and ethnic unity in the country's west areas.
The railway stretches 1,956 km from Xining,
provincial capital of Qinghai, to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. It
went into operation on Saturday.
Right after the celebration marking the launching of
the railway, the president got on a train Saturday noon to inspect the
construction and operation of the railway, praising the contribution of workers
in the past years to construct the highest rail in the world.
Some 960 km of the railway's tracks are located 4,000
meters above sea level and the highest point is 5,072 meters. Actually, a
section of 814 km from Xining to Golmud began operation in 1984 and the
Golmud-Lhasa section started construction on June 29, 2001.
Hu asked local officials to make full use of
resources to accelerate economic and social development and improve the people's
living standard. In the meantime, the environment should be protected well for
the benefit of future generations.
At a railway station, Hu visited the control rooms
for the operation of trains and tracks, and asked about the living and working
conditions of railway staff in the plateau areas, wishing them good health and
calling on them to contribute more to the country's railway contribution.
Enditem
Related story:
President
Hu attends launching ceremony of Qinghai-Tibet railway
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Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is also
general secretary of Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee and
Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), delivers an important
speech at the launching ceremony of the Qinghai-Tibet railway held at the
Golmud Railway Station in Golmud, northwest China's Qinghai Province, July
1, 2006 (Xinhua Photo) |
More photos>>
GOLMUD, Qinghai, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President
Hu Jintao on Saturday attended a launching ceremony of the Qinghai-Tibet
Railway, the first ever rail link to the "roof of the world", Saturday.
The grand ceremony was held this morning in Golmud, a
start-off point of the landmark railway in northwest China's Qinghai Province,
to mark the railway's opening to traffic.
Hu, who also General Secretary of Chinese Communist
Party (CPC)Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission,
delivered a keynote speech at the gala held at the Golmud Railway Station, which
was decorated with blossoming flowers and fluttering colorful flags.
Hu said that the opening to traffic of the
Qinghai-Tibet railway is another magnificent accomplishment we have achieved in
our socialist modernization drive. Construction of the Qinghai-Tibet railroad is
a long-cherished dream of generations of the Chinese people.
The President then cut the ribbon for the launching
of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. After his speech, a train carrying officials and
model workers on the project set out from Golmud for Lhasa where it was due to
arrive on Saturday night. Another train set out from Lhasa.
"The project is not only a magnificent feat in
China's history of railway construction, but also a great miracle of the world's
railroad history," according to the president.
Hu said this successful practice has made it clear
again to the people at large that diligent and intelligent Chinese people are
ambitious, self-confident and capable of continuously making extraordinary
achievements, and they are ambitious, self-confident and capable of standing
amongst the world's advanced nations.
The feat of completion will be recorded forever into
the history of the People's Republic of China, he added.
Hu said the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet railway
has brought forth four enlightments.
Firstly, we must stick to development, which is the
top imperative task for our Party to govern and rejuvenate our country, so as to
continuously enhance the country's overall strength.
Secondly, we must rev up scientific and technological
progress so as to greatly improve our capability of innovation.
Thirdly, we must bring into full play the political
advantage of the socialist institution, so as to realize a situation that the
entire nation is united to jointly accomplish feats.
Fourthly, we must carry forward the spirit of arduous
struggle and unceasingly strife in order to dauntlessly create historic feats.
President Hu required railway authorities to do a
good job in management and use of the Qinghai-Tibet railroad and to establish
awareness of the principles of putting the people first and of safe development.
He said that labor security for railway workers and
physical health of passengers should be ensured. He emphasized the extremely
importance of environmental protection of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Hu noted railway workers and passengers traveling on
the Qinghai-Tibet railway should consciously treasure waters and mountains as
well as grass and woods on the Plateau, and they should help conserve the eco
system and environment along the railway.
According to Hu, launching of the Qinghai-Tibet
railway will provide a historic opportunity for the economic and social
development in Qinghai Province and Tibet Autonomous Region.
The two should take the wonderful opportunity to
carry out the conception of scientific development, design industrial
distribution in a scientific way, optimize the distribution of resources and
push forward the economic restructuring, so as to speed up the formation of
economic patterns with regional advantages and ethnic characteristics.
Hu said that efforts should be made to explore in a
scientific manner the tourism resources along the railway, to create tourist
brands with the plateau characteristics and to rev the development of local
tourism industry.
Upon the operation of the railroad, endeavors should
be exerted to develop advantageous resources and provide more jobs to help
increase income of local peasant farmers and herdsmen and improve the living
standards of various ethnic groups along the transport line, according to Hu.
He required related governmental departments to team
up with railway authorities and the governments of Qinghai and Tibet to
gradually build the areas along the Qinghai-Tibet railroad into booming
economies with social harmony and beautiful environment.
Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan presided over the launching
ceremony, which was also attended by Party chiefs of Tibet and Qinghai, as well
as 2,600 people from various circles, including exemplary workers who have made
special contributions to the railway construction.
Zhou Yongkong, State Councilor, cut the ribbon at
another ceremony held at the Railway Station of Lhasa, and saw off the
inland-bound train.
Liu Zhijun, Minister of Railway, said at the Golmud
ceremony that the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet railway was a strategic
decision made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the
State Council, and it is an unprecedented difficult job in human's history.
The Qinghai-Tibet railway is 1,956 kilometers long,
with 960 km of the track located 4,000 meters above the sea level and the
highest point at 5,072 meters.
The railway stretches from Xining, capital of Qinghai
Province, to Lhasa. The section of 814 km from Xining to Golmud began operation
in 1984 and the Golmud-Lhasa section started construction on June 29, 2001.
The railway is the world's highest and longest
plateau railroad and also the first railway connecting the Tibet Autonomous
Region with the rest of China.
The railway is projected to help double tourism
revenues by 2010 and reduce transport costs for goods by 75 percent in Tibet,
offcials said. Enditem
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