Tibet celebrated the 60th anniversary of its designation as an autonomous region on Thursday with colourful parades, songs, dances, and reminders of the Communist Party’s rule, as President Xi Jinping made a rare visit to the region.
More than 20,000 people gathered in a vast square before the Potala Palace, the former winter residence of the Dalai Lama, waving small red flags and holding placards praising the Party’s leadership.
The festivities, broadcast live on national television, featured messages urging Tibetans to “unwaveringly focus on stability, development, ecological protection, and border defence” while adhering to “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.”
The celebrations came six decades after Beijing formally established the Tibet Autonomous Region in September 1965, six years after the 14th Dalai Lama fled into exile in India following a failed uprising. Tibet was the last of China’s five autonomous regions, following Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Guangxi, and Ningxia.
Beijing says autonomy grants Tibetans greater rights, including religious freedom, but human rights groups and Tibetan exiles accuse China of decades of repression. Since Xi rose to power in 2012, China has tightened controls, demanding Tibetan Buddhism align with socialist principles and requiring special permission for foreign journalists and diplomats to visit the region.
China also insists it will decide on the succession of the Dalai Lama, who turned 90 this year, rejecting his assertion that a trust he founded has sole authority. Beijing maintains that foreign leaders’ contact with the spiritual leader encourages “separatism” and has threatened to cut ties with those who meet him.
Amid the criticism, Chinese officials highlight what they call sweeping development achievements. Between 2012 and 2024, Tibet’s road network nearly doubled to 120,000 kilometres, and its economy expanded to 276.5 billion yuan ($39 billion), more than 150 times its size in 1965.
“Grateful to the general secretary, grateful to the Party Central Committee, and thankful to the people of the whole country,” read one placard at the parade, reflecting the tone of Thursday’s celebrations.
Written By Rodney Mbua
