Tibet will unswervingly uphold national security, intensify the fight against secession, and modernize the system and capacity of social governance, said a senior official of China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Monday.

Yan Jinhai, head of the regional government, made the remarks in a speech marking the historical movement that ended serfdom in Tibet 64 years ago.

The 15th Serfs' Emancipation Day falls on Tuesday. On March 28, 1959, people in Tibet launched a democratic reform that ended the region's feudal serfdom and freed a million serfs. In 2009, the regional legislature announced March 28 as the day to commemorate the emancipation of the one million serfs.

Yan said the changes in Tibet are a vivid epitome of China's reform and development. Chinese modernization is the only correct choice for building a strong country and advancing national rejuvenation.

In the past 10 years, Yan said, Tibet has achieved high-quality development, maintained rapid economic growth, and heavily invested in education, medical care, culture, housing, employment, and social security. Tibet has shaken off absolute poverty and kept on pace with the whole country in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

In the past decade, Tibet has put half of the regional area under strict ecological protection, he added.