Tibet's A-share-listed companies valued at $12 bln

The ten A-share companies in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region had a total market value of 73.41 billion yuan (about 12.04 billion U.S. dollars) by Nov. 30.

The figure is 4.7 percent higher than the region's gross domestic product (GDP) for last year, according to the regional securities regulatory bureau.

The companies' total market value at the end of 2012 was 81.65 percent of the region's GDP that year.

Among the ten firms, one covers tourism in Tibet, and three focus on regional products such as highland barley beer and traditional Tibetan medicine.

The development of enterprises in the region is an increasing trend, especially non-state-owned ones. Despite them being comparatively small in size, they have contributed a lot to regional economic development, said Liao Yidong, vice chairman with the Federation of Industry and Commerce of Tibet.

The capital market is expected to play a more active role in promoting economic restructuring and supporting industries by cultivating more listed companies in Tibet, he said.

The region's first futures business department opened in July.