Nikkei Asia reported (March 4) that China has begun construction of a 319.8 billion yuan ($49.4 billion)-rail line that would greatly improve access to Tibet. The 1,800 km railway will directly connect Lhasa to Chengdu and travel at speeds between 120 and 200 kph reducing travel time to a little more than 10 hours. Service is scheduled to start around 2030. Qi Zhala, Chairman of TAR referred to the rail project during Tibet's People's Congress held in January 2021. He said, "Let's follow the leadership of President Xi Jinping and mark the 100th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Tibet, with an exceptionally outstanding achievement."  Qi Zhala laid out a medium- to long-term plan starting this year that called for accelerating infrastructure building under the banners of ensuring national security and raising the quality of life of the people. At the groundbreaking ceremony of the rail project in November, Xi Jinping had said "The railway project has great significance to maintaining national unity, promoting ethnic unity and consolidating stability in border areas."