Progress in Xizang highlighted

Related: Full text: Human Rights in Xizang in the New Era

The achievements of human rights protection in all aspects, including political, economic and social rights in the Xizang autonomous region in recent years, will not be undermined by the accusations of so-called "worsening of human rights in Xizang" disinformation spread by anti-China forces that collude with the Dalai group for political purposes, a newly released white paper said.

And the steady steps of improving human rights in Xizang, including the right to learn and use the Tibetan language and the right to religious freedom, will not be obstructed by anti-China forces in the United States and other Western countries, which have disregarded basic facts and whose real goal is to destabilize Xizang and separate it from China, according to a white paper titled "Human Rights in Xizang in the New Era" released in Lhasa, the regional capital of Xizang, on Friday.

Contrary to the claims that Xizang has been trying to prevent people from learning the Tibetan language, the right to study and use the Tibetan language is fully guaranteed, the white paper said. It added that the right to study and develop the Tibetan language is guaranteed in education and in the standardization of important terms. Courses on both standard Chinese and Tibetan are taught in primary and secondary schools in Xizang.

Meanwhile, the legal safeguards for freedom of religious belief are constantly being improved in Xizang. And the central government and governments at all levels in Xizang fully respect the tradition of the reincarnation of living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism.

They strictly follow the measures for managing the reincarnation of living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism to regulate the management and relevant affairs in accordance with the law. By 2024, 93 newly reincarnated living Buddhas had been approved and recognized. The legitimacy and credibility of the reincarnation of living Buddhas are under effective safeguards, it said.

The white paper was released by the State Council Information Office on the region's Serfs' Emancipation Day, which was established on March 28 by the regional legislature in 2009. The annual commemoration recalls the democratic reforms of 1959 in Xizang that ended feudal serfdom.

Xing Guangcheng, head of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies, said that there is no need to pay too much attention to the accusations and even lies about Xizang's human rights condition.

"On the contrary, China has not only emancipated the serfs, but also their descendants. Generations later are now enjoying the benefits of being masters of their own destiny. And their human rights can only be further improved as the region has been focusing on high-quality development," Xing said.

Zhang Yonghe, executive dean of the Human Rights Research Institute of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, said that Xizang in particular has made great achievements since 2012, especially in terms of poverty alleviation, infrastructure construction and improving people's livelihoods.

According to the white paper, total road length in the region grew from 65,200 kilometers in 2012 to 124,900 km by the end of 2024. Also, roads in rural and mountainous areas have seen overall improvement. By the end of 2024, all towns and townships had access to roads. Also, by 2024, all administrative villages in Xizang had access to 4G connections. And 5G connections can be accessed by every town and township and 70 percent of villages, it added.

"Efforts have been made to turn Xizang into a digital and intelligent region, which has ensured that people in Xizang won't fall behind in the digital age and their right to development," said Zhang who has visited Xizang many times for research.