Beijing, August 22: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Lhasa on Wednesday to attend events marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region, state media reported, underscoring Beijing’s tight control over the Himalayan territory it annexed in 1950.
Xi, leading a delegation of senior officials from Beijing, was welcomed by people from various ethnic groups, according to the official Xinhua news agency. He also held meetings with cadres dispatched from other provinces, military officers and civilian personnel stationed in Lhasa, as well as representatives described as grassroots role models.
China formally established the autonomous region in 1965, six years after the Dalai Lama fled to India following a failed uprising. The exiled spiritual leader, who turned 90 last month, has said his eventual successor will be chosen by the Gaden Phodrang Trust he set up in 2015, a position Beijing has rejected, insisting it must approve any reincarnation.
China refers to Tibet as Xizang and maintains that its governance has brought development and stability to the region. Critics, however, accuse Beijing of suppressing religious freedom and eroding Tibetan culture.
