Xi's enduring bond with Xizang mirrors region's dramatic transformation

From 2012 to 2024, the region's road network nearly doubled to 120,000 kilometers, linking every town and village. Nine pillar industries — spanning clean energy, cultural tourism, and ecological development — now flourish, propelling the regional GDP to 276.5 billion yuan ($38.7 billion) in 2024, a staggering 155-fold increase from that of 1965. By 2024, the urban and rural per capita disposable income were 121 times and 199 times the 1965 level, respectively.

In Xizang, as across China, all rural residents have been lifted out of extreme poverty. Daily life has become markedly more prosperous and modern — for example, all townships and 70 percent of villages now have access to 5G networks.

"From carrying water in buckets to turning on taps, from oil lamps to electric lights, and from dirt paths to paved roads — our farmers and herders now live vastly better lives," Xi observed.

Xinhua