Speakers:
Mr. Yan Jinhai, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee and chairman of Xizang Autonomous Region
Mr. Xu Zhitao, vice chairman of Xizang Autonomous Region
Mr. Wang Niandong, secretary of Party Leadership Group and deputy director of the Development and Reform Commission of Xizang Autonomous Region
Mr. Wang Xiaodong, director of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Xizang Autonomous Region
Chairperson:
Ms. Shou Xiaoli, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
May 23, 2024
Shou Xiaoli:
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This is the 22nd press conference in the series "Promoting High-Quality Development." Today, we are very glad to be joined by Mr. Yan Jinhai, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee and chairman of Xizang Autonomous Region. Mr. Yan will brief you on promoting long-term stability and high-quality development in Xizang in the new era, and then take your questions. Also present today are Mr. Xu Zhitao, vice chairman of Xizang Autonomous Region; Mr. Wang Niandong, secretary of Party Leadership Group and deputy director of the Development and Reform Commission of Xizang Autonomous Region; and Mr. Wang Xiaodong, director of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Xizang Autonomous Region.
Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Yan for his introduction.
Yan Jinhai:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good afternoon. It is my pleasure to meet with you today on May 23. On this day 73 years ago, the "17-Article Agreement" was signed in Beijing, declaring the peaceful liberation of Xizang. The snow-covered plateau has since been embracing promising prospects and a new life. On such a special day, it is my honor to share with you the development stories of China's Xizang. Here, on behalf of the CPC Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee and the government of Xizang Autonomous Region, I would like to express my deep appreciation to people from all walks of life who have consistently taken interest in and supported Xizang's development.
General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the work related to Xizang and deeply cares about people of all ethnic groups in the region. He has made three inspection tours to Xizang and also chaired two central symposiums on work related to the region, charting the course for its development and establishing CPC policies on governance of Xizang in the new era. Always keeping in mind General Secretary Xi's keen expectations, we have focused on maintaining stability, promoting development, improving the eco-environment, and strengthening border defense in Xizang. Moreover, we have also been dedicated to developing model communities of ethnic unity and progress in Xizang, and building it into a pioneering area for high-quality development of the plateau economy, a model in advancing eco-civilization, as well as a demonstration region for safeguarding, developing and bringing prosperity to border areas. Through these efforts, we have significantly enhanced the region's long-lasting security, stability and high-quality development. Since the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Xizang's GDP has grown from 190 billion yuan to 240 billion yuan in 2023, with its per capita GDP rising from 52,300 yuan to 60,000 yuan. The growth rate of per capita disposable income in the region has consistently ranked among the highest nationwide for years. As a result, Xizang has been following a new path of high-quality development of the plateau economy, achieving specific accomplishments in the following areas:
First, with a focus on forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, we have been pooling strength for high-quality development. Centered on safeguarding national unity and enhancing ethnic solidarity, Xizang has led the country in introducing regulations and plans for establishing model communities of ethnic unity and progress. Currently, the creation of these communities has been comprehensively implemented across the autonomous region, as well as in its prefecture-level cities, counties, townships and villages. People of all ethnic groups have engaged in extensive interaction, exchange and integration, jointly safeguarding the sacred homeland and building a happy home. The people's sense of security and satisfaction remain over 99%. Barkhor Street in Lhasa, which General Secretary Xi Jinping visited in 2021, boasts a history of over 1,300 years. In over 100 residential compounds, people of more than 20 ethnic groups including Tibetan, Han, Hui and Monba live alongside one another, studying, working and enjoying life together. Just like "tea and salt," they are as close as family members, living together in harmony.
The stage play "Barkhor's Northern Courtyard," inspired by the stories of ethnic unity that happened on Barkhor Street in Lhasa, narrates heartwarming stories of individuals from different ethnic groups learning from and helping each other, living together as one family. In addition, as time progresses, individuals who contribute to fostering ethnic unity in this snow-covered plateau region, often revered as gesang flowers by the people of Xizang, have also traveled beyond the geographical barriers and taken root across the country. Not long ago, a Party and government delegation conducted an exchange tour in Changsha, central China's Hunan province. During a symposium with representatives of college students from Xizang who work in Hunan, we leant about Tenzin Drolkar, a Tibetan college graduate, who works as a primary-level staff member at a township government in Hunan's Zhuzhou. Not only did she learn the local dialect, but she also married a local man, with their child becoming an embodiment of ethnic unity.
