State media reports Chinese leaderโs arrival in Tibet was greeted with people waving bouquets of flowers and dancing โto joyful rhythmsโ.
Chinaโs President Xi Jinping has made a rare visit to Tibet to mark the 60th anniversary of the consolidation of Chinese rule over the long-contested Himalayan territory, state news reports.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency said that Xi arrived in Tibetโs regional capital, Lhasa, on Wednesday, where he was met by about 20,000 officials and local people from โall ethnic groups and all walks of lifeโ.
In Lhasa, Xi urged the building of a โmodern socialistโ Tibet โthat is united, prosperous, civilised, harmonious and beautifulโ, Xinhua reported.
State broadcaster CCTV said Xi emphasised the need to โguide Tibetan Buddhism in adapting itself to socialist societyโ.
China claims Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were essentially independent for most of that time under their own Buddhist theocracy.
On the morning of Thursday, a grand rally was held in Lhasa to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the #Xizang Autonomous Region. The celebration featured a large-scale parade with 26 marching contingents and floats proceeding in turn to festive music. The firstโฆ pic.twitter.com/qi2yNt09Wv
โ Global Times (@globaltimesnews) August 21, 2025
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Communist forces occupied Tibet in 1951, and in 1965, Chinese leader Mao Zedongโs single-party dictatorship established the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Decades of political repression followed, and in more recent years, large-scale migration of majority Han Chinese to the high-altitude region has occurred.
Tibet is largely closed to journalists and foreigners.
China also insists on the right to appoint a reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhismโs highest-ranking spiritual leader, who recently turned 90 and lives in self-imposed exile in neighbouring India after fleeing Chinese rule in 1959.
Xiโs arrival in Tibet coincided with another rare trip this week by Chinaโs foreign minister Wang Yi to India, where both Beijing and New Delhi pledged to rebuild ties damaged by a deadly 2020 border clash involving troops from both countries.
Tibet is a highly strategic region for China due to its border with India, though Beijingโs latest mega hydropower project in the Tibetan plateau has also unsettled India downstream.
Xi has said the project must be โvigorouslyโ pursued as part of Chinaโs carbon reduction goals while protecting Asiaโs โwater towerโ.
