An aerial photo shows the Lhasa-Xigaze Highway in Quxu County, Lhasa City, capital of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. [Photo/Phentok, Tang Bin]

On June 30, 2024, the high-grade highway linking Lhasa and Xigaze in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region officially opened to traffic. The highway is a section of the G4218 Ya'an-Yecheng National Expressway, cutting travel time between the two cities to three hours. So far, the mileage of high-grade highways in Xizang has reached 1,196 km.

The high-grade highway stretches 245 km, and its opening will effectively improve the infrastructure construction level of high-grade highways in high-altitude and cold regions in China, optimize and improve the highway networks, promote the further formation of acomprehensive three-dimensional transportation network of the 'Three-Hour Economic Circle' of Xizang, which includes the cities of Lhasa, Xigaze, Nagqu, Shannan and Nyingchi, and make important contributions to the economic and social development in the regions.