It is to remind Tibet who's still got them by the gonads and to send
a message to the rest of the world that wants to Free Tibet to back
off. Nothing like paving over not only the tallest mountain on Earth
but also something sacred to the Tibetians to get that point across.

Plus it's a relatively cheap version of the Space Race of the Cold War
days, showing the world China's technological prowess. Hey, we can
pave over the highest place on Earth! Next stop - the Solar System!

9-11 distracted us from focusing on China. We need to get back to
focusing on them, or we better start learning to speak Madarin.
Thankfully I already like Chinese food, even though I know it is
the American version.