China News Service:

The peaceful liberation of Tibet opened up a new path to prosperity and development. How to exercise sound governance over Tibet has become one of the key topics among some scholars. What experience could the Tibet autonomous region share in this regard? Thank you.

Wu Yingjie:

This is a good question. During the successful practice of governing, stabilizing, and making Tibet prosperous, we are keenly aware that, to achieve prosperity and development in Tibet, we must first uphold the strong leadership of the CPC. Historically, patriots and righteous people explored suitable paths of development in Tibet. Since the peaceful liberation in 1951, people have realized that only the CPC can lead Tibet to achieve development and prosperity.

Second, we must adhere to socialism with Chinese characteristics, implement the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and pool resources to complete major missions. As I said previously, the achievements in Tibet depend on the efforts of all the ethnic peoples united and led by the CPC Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee and the local government. More importantly, they also rely on the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and support from the rest of China. This demonstrates the strengths of China's socialist system. Therefore, the path must be chosen correctly.

Third, we must take a holistic view of national security and safeguard national unity and territorial integrity to ensure Tibet's fundamental interests.

Fourth, we must remain committed to the people-centered philosophy of development. We must keep the aspiration of the people to live a better life as the focus of our efforts and make steady progress towards enhancing people's sense of gain, happiness, and security. Just as Mr. Qizhala and I said previously, since the peaceful liberation in 1951, the Party and the country have never taken even a single cent from Tibet; on the contrary, they have made all efforts to support us. All the ethnic peoples of Tibet have enjoyed special preferential policies that are not enjoyed by people in other parts of China. This demonstrates the implementation of the people-centered philosophy of development in Tibet.

Fifth, we must foster a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. Tibet has been an integral part of China since ancient times. We must keep in mind a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and pursue common prosperity and development through uniting and working hand in hand. With support from the CPC Central Committee and the rest of China, people of all ethnic groups in Tibet should also maintain the spirit of self-reliance and diligence.

Sixth, we must uphold the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation. We should clarify that Tibetan Buddhism is part of Chinese culture. On religious affairs, we should adopt policies on the freedom of religious belief, manage religious affairs in accordance with the law, adhere to the principle of independence and self-management, and focus on guiding religions to adapt to the socialist society. A special situation in Tibet is that we always take a clear stand to eliminate the negative influence generated by the 14th Dalai Lama through religious affairs. In the new era, it is important that we guide the public to downplay the negative influence of religion, treat religion rationally and live a happy life in this life.

Seventh, we must strengthen Party building, especially in its political foundations. Over the years, the building of primary-level Party organizations has achieved remarkable progress and the cohesion of people in Tibet has been strengthened. This is mainly attributed to the efforts made by a large number of primary-level Party organizations and officials who are loyal to the Party, engage with the people, and dedicate themselves at grassroots levels. They have done a great deal of work.

Chen Wenjun:

Thank you, Mr. Wu, Mr. Qizhala, and friends from the media. This is the end of today's press conference. Goodbye.

Translated and edited by Zhang Liying, Zhu Bochen, Xu Xiaoxuan, Wang Yiming, Liu Sitong, Cui Can, Qin Qi, Yan Xiaoqing, Lin Liyao, Wang Wei, Yuan Fang, Li Huiru, Liu Qiang, Huang Shan, Zhang Rui, Zhang Junmian, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Tom Arnstein. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.