Xi's Tibet visit seen as boost for ethnic unity

President hails decades of progress in region, stresses stability, high-quality development

President Xi Jinping has laid out a new vision for ethnic unity, lasting peace and stability, and the high-quality development of the Tibet autonomous region, stressing the need to secure new achievements in ecological protection and sustainable growth in the plateau area.

The landmark visit made by Xi, which took him to the cities of Nyingchi and Lhasa, the regional capital, from Wednesday to Friday, is set to spur the people and officials in the region to make greater progress in various areas, analysts said.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the visit on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation. It was the first time a top Chinese leader has taken part in such a celebration in the history of the Party and the country.

"The visit fully demonstrated the strong concern from the CPC Central Committee and Xi for the different ethnic groups of Tibet. It was also a gesture of full reckoning of the phenomenal achievements of the region over the past seven decades," said Zhang Yun, director of the Institute of History Studies of the China Tibetology Research Center.

During the tour, Xi visited the Nyang River Bridge to inspect ecological conservation in the basin of the Yarlung Zangbo River and its tributary, the Nyang, before making a visit to a local urban planning hall, a village and a park in the city.

At Nyingchi Railway Station on Thursday, he learned about the overall planning of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and the operation of its Lhasa-Nyingchi section, before taking a train to Lhasa.