LHASA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Entrepreneurs gathered on Friday in Nyingchi, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, as the "Trans-Himalaya" International Conference of Entrepreneurs got underway.

The event, themed "Gathering Trans-Himalaya Strength; Unleashing Development Momentum," is a key sub-event of the China Xizang "Trans-Himalaya" Forum for International Cooperation, running from June 27 to 28.

A total of 89 domestic and international companies are taking part, underscoring the region's growing importance in cross-border collaboration.

During the conference, Wang Jingcai, deputy director of the regional development and reform commission, unveiled an "Opportunity List" for industrial development, highlighting nine priority sectors including clean energy, cultural tourism and Tibetan medicine.

Zhao Peng, vice chairman of the regional government, highlighted Xizang's role as an important gateway to South Asia for China.

"Xizang is stepping up efforts to enhance cooperation with neighboring countries and expand high-level opening up to the outside world," Zhao said, adding that the region has already established economic partnerships with 140 countries and regions.

Xizang's economy has consistently ranked among the fastest-growing in China. In 2024, the region's GDP reached 276.49 billion yuan (about 38.6 billion U.S. dollars), expanding by 6.3 percent.

In the first quarter of this year, Xizang's total import and export value rose to 2.308 billion yuan, up 5.9 percent from the same period last year, according to Lhasa Customs.

That growth outpaced the national foreign trade growth rate by 4.6 percentage points, further underscoring Xizang's rising momentum in regional and global trade. ■