Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) attended a grand ceremony in Lhasa yesterday during a rare visit to Tibet, where he urged “ethnic unity and religious harmony” in a region where China is accused of human rights abuses.
The vast high-altitude area on the country’s western edge, established as an autonomous region in 1965 — six years after the 14th Dalai Lama fled into exile — was once a hotbed for protest against Chinese Communist Party rule.
Rights groups accuse Beijing’s leaders of suppressing Tibetan culture and imposing massive surveillance, although authorities claim their policies have fostered stability and rapid economic development in one of China’s poorest regions.
Photo: Xinhua via AP
“To govern, stabilize and develop Tibet, we must first safeguard political stability, social stability, ethnic unity and religious harmony,” state broadcaster CCTV reported Xi as saying on Wednesday.
Party officials yesterday lauded the region’s progress and urged ethnic unity during an event to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the autonomous region.
The ceremony was held in front of the Potala Palace, the ancient residence of Dalai Lamas.
Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) called for “deepening the anti-secession struggle, and ensuring the consolidation and security of the border areas.”
“Any attempt to split the motherland and undermine Tibet’s stability is doomed to failure,” he said.
A giant portrait of Xi flanked a crowd numbering 20,000, which included military personnel, schoolchildren and other members of Tibetan society, CCTV reported.
A parade followed, showcasing Tibetan dancers, floats emblazoned with official slogans and formations of troops.
Xi’s visit comes ahead of potential tensions over the succession of the 90-year-old Dalai Lama, who lives in India, where he established a Tibetan government-in-exile.
The Dalai Lama last month said the spiritual institution would continue after his death, with a successor decided “exclusively” by his office.
China’s rulers insist the next Dalai Lama must be approved by the government in Beijing, raising the prospect of two rival leaders of Tibetan Buddhism emerging.
Xi on Wednesday also called for “guiding Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to socialist society in accordance with the systematic Sinicization of religion.”
He made no mention of the Dalai Lama.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday vowed that those behind bogus flood control projects would be arrested before Christmas, days after deadly back-to-back typhoons left swathes of the country underwater. Scores of construction firm owners, government officials and lawmakers — including Marcos’ cousin congressman — have been accused of pocketing funds for substandard or so-called “ghost” infrastructure projects. The Philippine Department of Finance has estimated the nation’s economy lost up to 118.5 billion pesos (US$2 billion) since 2023 due to corruption in flood control projects. Criminal cases against most of the people implicated are nearly complete, Marcos told reporters. “We don’t file cases for
Ecuadorans are today to vote on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and the drafting of a new constitution that could give the country’s president more power. Voters are to decide on the presence of foreign military bases, which have been banned on Ecuadoran soil since 2008. A “yes” vote would likely bring the return of the US military to the Manta air base on the Pacific coast — once a hub for US anti-drug operations. Other questions concern ending public funding for political parties, reducing the number of lawmakers and creating an elected body that would
A feud has broken out between the top leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on whether to maintain close ties with Russia. The AfD leader Alice Weidel this week slammed planned visits to Russia by some party lawmakers, while coleader Tino Chrupalla voiced a defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The unusual split comes at a time when mainstream politicians have accused the anti-immigration AfD of acting as stooges for the Kremlin and even spying for Russia. The row has also erupted in a year in which the AfD is flying high, often polling above the record 20 percent it
‘ATTACK ON CIVILIZATION’: The culture ministry released drawings of six missing statues representing the Roman goddess of Venus, the tallest of which was 40cm Investigators believe that the theft of several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era from Syria’s national museum was likely the work of an individual, not an organized gang, officials said on Wednesday. The National Museum of Damascus was closed after the heist was discovered early on Monday. The museum had reopened in January as the country recovers from a 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year al-Assad dynasty last year. On Wednesday, a security vehicle was parked outside the main gate of the museum in central Damascus while security guards stood nearby. People were not allowed in because
RSS