Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a rare visit to Tibet to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the consolidation of Chinese rule over the Himalayan territory.
Xi arrived in Lhasa, the regional capital of Tibet, on Wednesday, where he was greeted by thousands of officials and local people.
According to state media reports, Xi urged the building of a “modern socialist” Tibet that is “united, prosperous, civilised, harmonious and beautiful”.
During his visit, Xi emphasized the need to “guide Tibetan Buddhism in adapting itself to socialist society”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
This visit comes amid ongoing tensions between China and Tibet, with many Tibetans claiming they were essentially independent for most of their history under their own Buddhist theocracy before Chinese occupation in 1951.
China claims Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but the region has a distinct cultural and spiritual identity.
The current Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s highest-ranking spiritual leader, lives in self-imposed exile in neighboring India after fleeing Chinese rule in 1959.
China insists on the right to appoint a reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, who recently turned 90.
Xi’s visit to Tibet coincided with a rare trip by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi to India, where both countries pledged to rebuild ties damaged by a deadly 2020 border clash.
Tibet is a highly strategic region for China due to its border with India, and Beijing’s latest mega hydropower project in the Tibetan plateau has unsettled India downstream.
The project, according to Xi, must be “vigorously” pursued as part of China’s carbon reduction goals while protecting Asia’s “water tower”. Tibet remains largely closed to journalists and foreigners, and Xi’s visit highlights the ongoing tensions between China and Tibet.
As China continues to shape the region’s politics, culture, and economy, the fate of Tibet and its people remains a contentious issue.