Chinese president Xi Jinping arrived in Lhasa on Wednesday to mark 60 years since Beijing declared Tibet an “autonomous region” — a move long rejected by Tibetans as nothing more than a cover for colonial rule.
The so-called anniversary highlights the Communist Party’s continued efforts to claim legitimacy over Tibet, which was invaded and annexed in the 1950s. Six years after Tibet’s 1959 uprising and the Dalai Lama’s escape into exile, Beijing imposed the “autonomous region” status in 1965, stripping Tibetans of genuine self-rule.
During his visit, Xi told officials that “stability, unity and harmony” must come first, repeating the Party’s long-standing line that Tibetan Buddhism must adapt to Chinese socialism. For Tibetans, this means ever-tightening restrictions on religion, culture, and expression, while Beijing accelerates hydropower projects and militarisation in the Himalayan region.
Xi’s trip comes as China faces ongoing tensions with India along the Tibet border, underlining Tibet’s strategic role in Beijing’s regional ambitions.
In a speech carried by China’s state-run Xinhua, Xi Jinping urged stronger assimilation, calling on Tibetans to abandon their own identity by adopting Chinese as the “national common language” and embracing a Chinese identity over a Tibetan one. He also emphasized the need for “stability” — a term that in practice has meant intensified crackdowns each time Xi visits Tibet or East Turkistan (Uyghur region).
“Xi Jinping emphasized that governing, stabilizing, and developing Tibet primarily requires maintaining political stability, social stability, ethnic unity, and religious harmony in Tibet. We must further strengthen the sense of community among the Chinese nation and advance its building. We must strengthen publicity and education on the history of the Party, the history of the People’s Republic of China, the history of reform and opening up, the history of socialist development, and the history of the Chinese nation. We must widely publicize the glorious achievements of the Tibet Autonomous Region over the past 60 years, tell the story of Tibet in the new era well, and guide cadres and people of all ethnic groups to continuously enhance their “five identities.” We must actively create a national model region for ethnic unity and progress, promote the popularization of the national common language and script, foster exchanges and integration among all ethnic groups, and promote two-way economic, cultural, and personnel exchanges between Tibet and the mainland. We must guide Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to socialist society in accordance with the requirements of systematically promoting the Sinicization of religions in my country and strengthening the rule of law in the governance of religious affairs. We must strengthen Party leadership, improve social work systems and mechanisms, better serve the people, and consolidate the foundation of social governance.“Xinhua reported.
