The Tibetan delegation of lawmakers arrived in Beijing
Wednesday morning on a passenger train. This is the first
delegation to arrive for the upcoming annual session of the
National People's Congress, China's parliament.
Tibetan members on the National Committee of the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) also arrived on
the same train for the annual session of CPPCC National Committee,
China's top political advisory body.
It was the first time that Tibetan lawmakers and advisors came
to Beijing via the Lhasa-Beijing train.
The 1,956-km Qinghai-Tibet railway links Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, and Xining, capital
of northwest China's Qinghai Province. The world's highest and
longest railway began passenger transport on July 1, 2006, enabling
travels by rail between Tibet and other parts of China for the
first time.
The Tenth National Committee of the CPPCC convenes its fifth
annual plenary session on March 3.
The 10th National People's Congress opens its fifth plenary
session on March 5.
(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 2007)
