Top political adviser: Unity, stability 'a blessing' for Tibet growth

China's top political adviser, Wang Yang, said on Thursday that no external force has the right to point fingers at Tibetan affairs, and any attempt to separate the region from China is doomed to fail.

Wang, who is leading a central delegation to the Tibet autonomous region, made the remarks while addressing a grand gathering attended by over 20,000 representatives in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet.

"Seventy years of development have proved that unity and stability is a blessing, while division and chaos is disaster," said Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Highlighting progress in ethnic unity in Tibet, Wang said separatist and sabotage activities committed by the Dalai group and hostile external forces have been crushed.

Stressing harmony and stability in Tibet and national security and stability in the border areas, Wang said officials and the general public and all ethnic groups should be mobilized to forge an ironclad defense against separatist activities.

The central delegation's trip came a month after President Xi Jinping's visit to Tibet on the 70th anniversary, which was the first time a top Chinese leader has taken part in such a celebration.

On May 23, 1951, the central government of the People's Republic of China signed an agreement with the local government of Tibet on the peaceful liberation of the region, helping the people of Tibet break free from the fetters of imperialist invaders for good.

"Since then, Tibet has embarked on a path from darkness to light, from backwardness to progress, from poverty to prosperity, from autocracy to democracy, and from closeness to openness," Wang said.

With the establishment of a socialist system and regional ethnic autonomy, the rights of people of all ethnic groups in Tibet to equally participate in the governance of State affairs and the administration of affairs of the autonomous region are fully ensured.

The central government has also invested huge manpower, resources and funding to preserve and develop Tibet's fine traditional culture, Wang noted, adding that the Tibetan language is used extensively and precious classics such as Epic of King Gesar were saved and collated.

Religious beliefs of all ethnic groups are fully respected, Wang said.

At present, Tibet has over 35,000 deputies of people's congresses and over 8,000 CPPCC members at various levels, 90 percent of whom are members of ethnic minority groups.

The region ranks among the top three in China in its annual average economic growth rate, and it has topped the country in terms of growth of per capita disposable income of rural residents for many years, Wang noted. Around 628,000 people had been lifted out of poverty by the end of 2019.

Tenzin, a 60-year-old worker for a local community in Lhasa, said the Party and the government have helped his community to develop its economy and provide targeted assistance to make sure no one was left behind in achieving moderate prosperity.

"Every family now lives in a new house, children are guaranteed an education, the elderly get pensions and everyone has medical insurance. Our living conditions have improved a lot," he said.

Kelsang Drolma, a researcher on the Tibetan economy and society at the China Tibetology Research Center, said, "Poverty alleviation was a hard-won achievement in Tibet's history."

The Party and the government have been reinforcing efforts and taking various approaches to assist the region's development for the well-being of the local people, she said.

Tibet's liberation and development have received great attention because of the autonomous region's special history, strategic geographical location and weak development foundation, she said, adding that the region's liberation and development have highlighted the importance of stabilizing and governing the border areas.

Through criticism and interference, some Western forces aim to use Tibet as an excuse for provocation to contain China's development, and they don't care about the real lives of the people in Tibet. The best response is Tibet's development achievements in various areas, she added.

Xinhua contributed to this story.