Xi makes first visit to Tibet as President
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LHASA (Tibet) • Mr Xi Jinping has made his first visit to Tibet as Chinese President, affirming Beijing's control over a region where its military and ethnic-assimilation polices have drawn international criticism.
He arrived in the regional capital Lhasa on Thursday, Xinhua News Agency said, and inspected the Sichuan-Tibet railway operations during his visit.
State media showed Mr Xi being greeted by enthusiastic Tibetans and riding a train with Mr Liu He, China's economic czar, and Mr Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Dr Robert Barnett, a British academic who has written about Tibet, posted videos showing the Chinese leader speaking to locals.
"All regions and people of all ethnicities in Tibet will march towards a happy life in future," Mr Xi says in one video. "I am full of confidence as you all are. Lastly, I will not delay your dancing. I wish everyone a happy life and good health. Tashi Delek," he adds, using a phrase wishing good fortune.
The People's Republic of China this year marked the 70th anniversary of its assertion of sovereignty over Tibet. That was part of a broader effort by Mao Zedong's communists to consolidate control over territory historically claimed by China.
The region is at the centre of border tensions with India. Both sides have reorganised forces after the deadliest fighting in decades last year.
Earlier this month, India redirected at least 50,000 extra troops to the border in a historic shift towards an offensive military posture against the world's second-biggest economy. India had roughly 200,000 troops focused on the border at the time.
In May, Mr Wu Yingjie, Communist Party chief of mostly Buddhist Tibet, lauded progress Beijing has made in developing the region, saying "religion has been increasingly compatible with a socialist society".
Mr Xi's visit comes about two weeks after Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, turned 86. The choice of successor to the spiritual leader of Tibet, now living in exile in India, is shaping up to be a struggle between India and the US on one hand and China on the other.
Last September, prominent researcher Adrian Zenz released a report alleging that Beijing was instituting a mass labour system in Tibet similar to the one in Xinjiang.
Tibet Governor Qi Zhala said forced labour transfer "does not exist", and that the local government was focused on providing job training.
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