Built in a mountainous area with an average altitude above 3,000 meters, a highway network with a length of 4,276 meters opened to traffic Monday in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Construction of the highways, built at a cost of 2.85 billion yuan (US$343.37 million), began in June 2001, in the province's Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture.

The highway network is expected to stimulate the economic development of these areas, as it links the previously isolated prefectures not only with other parts of Sichuan but also Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan provinces, and the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Located in the western area of Sichuan, the three prefectures cover three-fifths of the province's land -- a total of 300,000 sqkm -- and are home to more than 5.6 million people of ethnic minorities, including the Tibetan, Qiang and Yi nationalities. 

Although the three prefectures boast rich natural resources, harsh geographical conditions and underdeveloped transportation means have long been obstacles to their development.

Wang Huicheng, deputy governor of the province, said that the opening of the highway network has not only doubled the speed of road communication in the three prefectures, it has also opened the door wider for the development of local tourism and agriculture.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2003)