China: Xi Jinping’s Historic Visit to Tibet | It was the first official trip by a leader of this country to the region in 31 years

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Tibet the last two days on an official trip, the first carried out by an Asian country’s head of state in the region since 1990, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

According to Chinese state media, the president began his visit on Wednesday with a flight to the Autonomous Region of Nyingchi, border town with India, and from there it moved by train to the capital of the region, Lhasa, along a section of the high-rise railway being constructed to connect the mountainous border region with Sichuan Province.

In images released on Friday by public broadcaster CCTV, Xi was seen getting off the plane on a red carpet waving to a crowd dressed in ethnic costumes and waving Chinese flags, while a group of dancers dressed in uniforms traditional people of the region acted around him.

The president received “a warm welcome from senior officials and popular masses of all ethnic groups,” state broadcaster CCTV commented. According to a visit report, the president called for strengthening “national unity” and “patriotism” in Tibet.

“It is essential to strengthen interactions and exchanges between different ethnicities,” said the president, quoted by CCTV. He also said that only when people “follow the party” can the “rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” be realized.

After the welcome, Xi went to the Nyang River Bridge to learn about the ecological and environmental protection of the Rio Yarlung Tsangpo and the nyang riversays CCTV. According to state media, Xi stressed the importance of preserving the environment, another of the topics discussed during his visit.

Infrastructure was also part of the trip, as evidenced by the fact that China’s top president traveled between Nynghi and Lhasa on the train that connects the two cities., the first electrified railway line in Tibet, which became operational last June.

Xi also urged the population to “defend the national territory”, amid border tensions with neighboring India, more than a year after the clashes between the two Asian powers.

This week the news portal Thread, who participated in the dissemination of the survey on Pegasus project, assured that the government of India tried to spy on the Dalai Lama, 86, who has lived in exile in this country since 1959, as New Delhi worries about the succession of the Tibetan spiritual leader

According to the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post, the trip took place on the occasion of the celebrations of 70th anniversary of what Beijing calls the “peaceful liberation of Tibet” when, after the entry into the area of ​​the Communist troops, the “17 point agreement” was signed by which the region became part of the People’s Republic of China on May 23, 1951.

Xi had already visited Tibet on an official trip in 2011, when he was still vice president, precisely for the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary. He also visited the region in 1998 as the leader of the Communist Party of Fujian Province. Sources quoted by the Hong Kong newspaper noted that Xi’s current trip is focused on “improving stability and increasing development.”

In Lhasa, the president visited Drepung monastery and the Potala Palace, residence of the Dalai Lama. In addition, the Chinese president visited a shopping street in the Tibetan capital where he spoke with local residents, according to Xinhua.

According to the protibetan movement International Campaign for Tibet, residents of Lhasa said they had undergone “unusual checks on their movements” before the visit. They mentioned roadblocks and increased police surveillance. Since the 2008 anti-China riots, Beijing has invested millions of dollars in Tibet to counter the influence of the Dalai Lama. But the discontent did not go away and there was sporadic immolations of Buddhist monks.

But according to Xinhua, at the Potala Palace, Xi “inspected the work of ethnic religion” and protection of Tibetan cultural heritageThe CCTV network showed a Tibetan woman wiping away tears as she joined a crowd of people in traditional costumes who enthusiastically applauded to welcome Xi.

Xi urged provincial and local officials to work to make the Tibetan people more identified with “The great homeland, the Chinese people, Chinese culture, the Chinese Communist Party and socialism with Chinese characteristics”Chinese news agency reported.

Agree with Yang chaohui, Professor of Politics at Peking University, after the violent clashes in 2008 Between Chinese police officers and Tibetan monks commemorating an anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s exile, local authorities wondered whether the visit of a Chinese leader would be welcome or safe. It took two days for Chinese state media to publicize Xi’s visit to the region, which began on Wednesday and was not reported until Friday.

The altitude of the Tibetan region, which can affect the health of people who are not used to it, is another reason Chinese authorities rarely visit, the professor said.