Chinese delegation, nearly 20,000 local officials and residents to attend
Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region is ready to kick off its celebration events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its establishment, which will be attended by a delegation from the Chinese central government, media reported on Saturday.
Meng Xiaolin, deputy director of the region's publicity department, said that the delegation will attend a gala show and a ceremony for the opening of a new highway linking Lhasa, regional capital of Tibet, and Nyingchi, in the east of the region.
Nearly 20,000 local officials and residents will be invited to the celebration events, which also include a parade of 25 formations consisting of 6,000 people.
The anniversary celebration was approved by the central government. The preparation started in December last year and has finally been completed, reported the Xinhua News Agency.
The central government delegation will visit regional leaders, retired officials, representatives from all ethnic groups, religious figures and soldiers and police officers.
They will also give presents to local residents, Xinhua added.
In 2001 and 2011, when Tibet celebrated its 50th and 60th anniversary of peaceful liberation, the delegation was led by the then vice presidents Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping respectively. In 2005, when Tibet celebrated the 40th anniversary of its establishment, the delegation was led by Jia Qinglin who was the then chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, news portal thepaper.cn reported.
2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Tibet, which was established on September 1, 1965. It was the last provincial-level region established within the People's Republic of China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told the 6th Tibet Work Forum last week in Beijing that the country's policy on Tibet should be centered on maintaining national integrity, fighting against separatism, ensuring long-term peaceful governance and sustainable growth in the region, and improving social cohesion.
The meeting was aimed at setting the basic tone for policymaking over the next five years, analysts said, adding that although the meeting inherited many previous stances, new touches were also made, such as "enforcing the rule of law in Tibet," "sustainable growth" and "improving social cohesion."
"Enhancing social cohesion and an emphasis on a more human-centric approach is being put forward amid increasing conflicts caused by the economy-centered development," Xiong Kunxin, an ethnic studies professor at the Minzu University of China, previously told the Global Times.
Penpa Lhamo, deputy head of the contemporary studies institute of the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the fight against separatism should continue since the Dalai Lama's "government-in-exile" has already begun to differentiate itself from a theocracy, portraying itself as a democratic government.
