Vice-president of the Austrian State Council Anna Elisabeth
Haselbach cherishes a yearning for a trip to China's Tibet.
Meeting a Chinese delegation attending the "China Tibet Culture
Festival," Haselbach said she hopes the Qinghai-Tibet Railway built
on "the roof of the world" would help bring closer Tibet and the
rest of the world.
The "China Tibet Culture Festival" being held in Austria on Oct.
18-29 is part of a series of activities marking the 35th
anniversary of the establishment of China-Austria diplomatic ties.
The Austrian government has designated 2006 as a "China Year."
Over the past 35 years, the friendly relations between Austria
and China have always been good despite the changing international
situation. Many Austrian people have a strong interest in Tibet,
she said.
The train has been proved to be an environment-friendly
transportation tool, but some European countries made excessive use
of trains for development of tourism at the expense of the
environment, said Haselbach.
Austria has valuable experiences in environmental protection and
is willing to share expertise and cooperate with China in the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway project, she added.
Extending her warm welcome to the two living Buddhas with the
delegation, Haselbach said many Austrians believe in Buddhism, as
they believe that Buddhism represents peace, kindness and
tolerance.
"Such a spirit is just what we need to solve the current
international problems," she said, hoping that Austria and China
could join hands to promote world peace and stability.
The head of the Chinese delegation, Li Guangwen, a deputy head
of the standing committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region's People's
Congress, said the Chinese government has invested heavily in
building the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
Before the launch of the project, relevant departments organized
experts to study the local eco-system, and borrow good experiences
from developed countries.
Li said data showed the railway has so far had no negative
impact on the local environment.
(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2006)