SCIO briefing on Xizang Autonomous Region's economic and social development achievements over 60 years

National Business Daily:

Since the establishment of Xizang Autonomous Region 60 years ago, and especially over the past five years, Xizang has made great efforts to advance projects and initiatives for raising living standards. What tangible benefits have the people of all ethnic groups in Xizang gained from these efforts? Thank you.

Wang Junzheng:

Thank you for your question. I would like to invite Mr. Gama Cedain to answer.

Gama Cedain:

Thank you for your question. Since the establishment of Xizang Autonomous Region, the CPC Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee and the regional government have made great efforts to improve infrastructure in areas such as water and electricity supply, transportation, internet access and telecommunications. People of all ethnic groups have experienced tremendous transformations in their daily lives, going from carrying water in buckets to using tap water, from oil lamps to electric lights, from dirt roads to paved highways, and from felt tents to apartment buildings. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) in particular, we have resolutely implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on the work related to Xizang and the Party's policies on the governance of Xizang in the new era. We have focused on improving people's well-being and rallying the support of the people in Xizang's economic and social development. We have been continuously implementing the 10 major livelihood projects, delivering tangible benefits to the people. As a result, new progress has been made in ensuring people's access to child care, education, employment, medical services, elderly care, housing and social assistance.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the central government and the regional government arranged 28 categories of projects concerning social development, with total planned investment of 24.65 billion yuan. To date, 23.678 billion yuan of that has been invested. We have made every effort to deliver tangible benefits that meet people's needs and expectations.

In the field of health care, the Healthy Xizang initiative has been comprehensively advanced. The total number of medical and health institutions has reached 7,231, with 21,488 hospital beds and 50,766 healthcare professionals. The capacity of basic medical and public health care services, such as clinical care, disease prevention and health maintenance, have been significantly improved at the primary level. Most recently, the Xizang Hospital of the West China Hospital of Sichuan University began operation, marking a major step toward the region's goal of ensuring that patients with serious illnesses can receive effective treatment without leaving Xizang.

In the field of education, Xizang has added 29 primary schools, 15 junior high schools and five senior high schools, and has renovated and expanded six secondary vocational schools. Construction has also begun on major projects such as Xigaze Vocational Technical College. These efforts continue to improve the allocation of education resources in response to population changes, ensuring children's access to quality education.

In the fields of culture and sports, a group of cultural and mass sports facilities, such as a culture, radio, television and art center and a smart broadcasting project, have been completed and put into operation. These developments have further enriched the people's cultural lives and fostered an atmosphere to enable the carrying out of mass fitness activities.

In the field of social security, Xizang has established 80 service centers for people living in extreme poverty, providing care for 5,825 individuals. It has also built 11 child welfare institutions, offering care for 3,236 orphans. All individuals covered by medical insurance can directly settle medical expenses incurred outside Xizang. In 2024, the per capita net income of people lifted out of poverty grew by more than 12.5% year on year.

In addition to these livelihood projects, a series of practical initiatives concerning people's well-being have also been implemented, including ensuring heating and oxygen supply in high-altitude areas, solutions to seasonal water shortages in high-altitude farming and pastoral regions, improved power supply reliability, and full coverage of fiber-optic broadband and 4G networks. These initiatives have enabled people of all ethnic groups in Xizang to bid farewell to previous hardships, such as difficulties accessing drinking water, electricity, transportation services and telecommunications, and they are now enjoying modern lives that are both comfortable and convenient. Today, Xizang has taken on a brand-new look, and people of all ethnic groups are embracing high-quality lives brought about by high-quality development. Thank you.