An Afghan exhibitor (right) introduces carpets to customers at the Lhasa Import Expo at the Xizang Exhibition Center in Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region, on Aug 4. The event attracted more than 200 companies and over 600 foreign merchants from 31 countries and regions. (JIANG FEIBO/CHINA NEWS SERVICE)
The GDP of the Xizang autonomous region totaled 276.49 billion yuan ($37.96 billion) in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 6.3 percent, officials said Tuesday during a news conference on the region's overall economic performance.
The per capita disposable income of all residents reached 31,358 yuan, up 8.2 percent from the previous year. For urban residents specifically, the figure was 55,444 yuan, a 6.8 percent hike, while rural residents saw an 8.3 percent increase to 21,578 yuan.
Foreign trade also grew last year, with the total import and export volume hitting 12.67 billion yuan, up 15.4 percent year-on-year. Exports accounted for 11.32 billion yuan, a rise of 15.3 percent, while imports climbed 16.9 percent to 1.35 billion yuan.
As a strategic gateway for China's opening to South Asia, Xizang has played an increasingly significant role in the country's efforts to further open up. From January to November, the region's total trade value reached 11.22 billion yuan, up 9.4 percent year-on-year — a record high since 2015, according to a government work report delivered Sunday by Karma Tsetan, acting chairman of the regional government, at the annual session of the regional people's congress.
The region's department of commerce attributed the growth to several factors, including the cultivation of new businesses, enhanced infrastructure for trade and improved policies for border development.
"The development of new business models, improved quality and efficiency of external communication, and initiatives promoting border area development have injected strong momentum into foreign trade growth," said Dekyi Tsomo, deputy head of the commerce department, as quoted by Xizang Daily.
Last year's key projects included the construction of the China (Lhasa) Comprehensive Cross-border E-commerce Pilot Zone and the launch of an integrated cross-border e-commerce platform. Six offline display stores were established in the Lhasa Comprehensive Bonded Zone, helping form an "offline experience store plus online cross-border e-commerce" system.
By the end of November, the region's cross-border e-commerce exports had reached 1.34 billion yuan, marking breakthroughs in areas such as overseas warehousing exports and direct exports.
In infrastructure, the Shigatse International Land Port began operations, a national logistics hub project in Gyirong was approved, and construction began on the first phase of the Gyirong smart port. The Shigatse-South Asia freight train completed trial operations, with 58 trains in service by the end of November. Small-scale border trade surged, with a 30.5 percent year-on-year increase to 3.17 billion yuan.
Several local businesses benefited from supportive government policies.
The Zhanang County Grain and Oil Company exported 31 metric tons of apples from Lhokha city to Nepal in 2024, earning $35,000. It was the first company in Xizang to export fruits from Lhokha to South Asia.
"The government provided a green channel for trade processing, conducting on-site operations at the planting base to streamline inspection, customs declaration and clearance procedures," said Li Shiyin, the company's technical director.
Another success was Xizang Alajiaobao Liquor Co, which made its first exports to the US market in 2024. The shipment included 1,500 units each of liquor and whiskey products, generating $212,040 in trade volume.
"With support from the region's standardization research institute and customs department, we overcame challenges in export policies, customs clearance and product testing," said manager Hu Zhiping. The company plans to expand into Canada this year.
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