Xi stresses building new modern socialist Xizang

LHASA -- Leading a central delegation to attend celebrations marking the 60th founding anniversary of Xizang autonomous region, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, listened to reports of the work of the CPC Xizang regional committee and the regional government on Aug 20. Xi stressed that Xizang must fully implement the Party's policies for the governance of Xizang in the new era, remain committed to the underlying principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, and solidly advance high-quality development. He also urged continuous and enhanced efforts on four major tasks of ensuring stability, facilitating development, protecting the eco-environment and strengthening the borders, with aims to build a new modern socialist Xizang that is united, prosperous, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful.

Xi noted that, since the establishment of Xizang autonomous region 60 years ago, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and with vigorous support of the people across the country, the Party committee and government of the autonomous region have united and led the people of all ethnic groups in the region to work hard, pioneer and push ahead, uphold and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and further efforts to combat separatism, thus achieving remarkable accomplishments in economic and social development. Having undergone tremendous changes, the plateau region, together with other parts of the country, finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled and embarked on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, Xi said. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, he extended warm congratulations and sincere greetings to cadres and people of all ethnic groups in Xizang.

Xi stressed that governing Xizang, ensuring its stability and promoting its prosperity must begin with maintaining political and social stability, ethnic unity and amity among different religions. It is a must to further foster a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and advance the building of this community. Efforts should be made to enhance education on the history of the Party, the People's Republic of China, reform and opening-up, the development of socialism, and the development of the Chinese nation. It is also important to widely publicize the remarkable achievements of Xizang autonomous region over the past 60 years, tell well Xizang stories in the new era, and guide officials and people of all ethnic groups to cultivate a growing sense of identity with the motherland, the Chinese nation, the Chinese culture, the Communist Party of China, and socialism with Chinese characteristics. Xi called for active efforts to build Xizang into a national model of ethnic solidarity and progress, promote the use of standard spoken and written Chinese language, and encourage greater interactions, exchanges and integration among all ethnic groups, while fostering two-way economic, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges between Xizang and other parts of China. He stressed the importance of guiding Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to socialist society in line with systematic efforts to ensure that religions in China are Chinese in orientation and ensure law-based management of religious affairs. He also underlined the need to strengthen Party building to improve social governance systems and mechanisms, better unite and serve the people, and consolidate the foundations of social governance.

As Xizang bears unique characteristics for development, it is necessary to promote high-quality development based on its realities, Xi said, underlining the work to develop specialty and competitive plateau industries in line with local conditions -- agricultural and animal husbandry industries with local features and clean energy industry in particular. Xizang should also continue developing resource processing industries, actively foster the modern service industry and facilitate the integration of culture and tourism sectors. Xi stressed that the construction of major projects such as the hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River and the Sichuan-Xizang Railway project should be advanced in a vigorous, orderly and effective manner. Meanwhile, Xi called on Xizang to advance ecological conservation, and make concerted efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, expand green development and pursue economic growth, so as to better protect "the roof of the world" and "the water tower of Asia." It is important to advance new urbanization and rural revitalization across the board in a well-coordinated way, consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation, and make solid efforts to ensure and improve people's livelihood in such areas as employment, education, medical and health care, social security, elderly care and child care, so as to further enhance the sense of fulfillment, happiness and security among people of all ethnic groups, Xi said, calling for continuous efforts in post-disaster reconstruction in quake-hit Dingri county.

Xi emphasized that to do a good job in all work related to Xizang, it is a must to always adhere to the Party's leadership and strengthen Party building. It is important to make constant efforts to enhance cohesion and forge inner strength with the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and guide officials and the general public of all ethnic groups to follow the Party and its guidance. It is essential to vigorously promote the spirit of veterans during the development of Xizang, who had demonstrated the tenacity to confront any danger and difficulty, strong combat capability, great endurance, ethnic solidarity, and selfless devotion, and the spirit of the builders of the Sichuan-Xizang Highway and the Qinghai-Xizang Highway in the 1950s, who had faced both hardship and death with great courage, confronted challenges head-on, made selfless contributions, and fostered army-civilian unity and ethnic solidarity like a family. Xi said while encouraging Party members, officials and talent of all types to undertake endeavors and take the lead in shouldering responsibilities, it is necessary to be both strict and caring, and place equal emphasis on providing incentives and imposing constraint, with efforts to implement all welfare measures and help address their worries. It is essential to ensure that Party branches play a pivotal role. Efforts must be made to leverage the results and experience of educational campaigns to thoroughly implement the CPC Central Committee's eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct while improving regular and long-lasting mechanisms in this regard. It is imperative to earnestly fulfill political responsibility for ensuring full and rigorous Party self-governance, synergize efforts to rectify misconduct, enforce discipline and combat corruption, and advance the coordinated efforts to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity or desire to become corrupt, alongside cultivating a clean political environment.

Wang Junzheng, secretary of the Xizang Autonomous Regional Committee of the CPC, delivered the reports on the work of the CPC regional committee and the regional government. The report meeting was attended by Pagbalha Geleg Namgyae, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairman of the regional committee of the CPPCC; Yan Jinhai, chairman of the standing committee of the regional people's congress; and Gama Cedain, chairman of the regional government.

The meeting was also attended by Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Li Ganjie, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing, Wang Xiaohong, Losang Jamcan, Hu Chunhua and Zhang Shengmin, along with leading officials from relevant central Party and state organs, members of the central delegation, and leading officials from the Party, government and military organizations of the autonomous region.