China must build 'impregnable fortress' for stability in Tibet, says Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping has told the senior lawmakers that Beijing must build an “impregnable fortress” to maintain stability in Tibet. The state media also said on Saturday, August 29 that Xi talked about protection of national unity and educating the public in the struggle against “spiritism”. 

Describing the move as “peaceful liberation” that benefited the people in the secluded Himalayan region to abandon the “feudalist” past, China has seized control over Tibet in 1950. However, critics of Asian superpower’s policies regarding the region and the supporters of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama have voiced their concerns with Chinese rule amounting to “cultural genocide”.  

According to international media reports, it was during a senior Communist Party meeting on Tibet’s future governance ending, Chinese President hailed the recent developments made and even appreciated the efforts made by the officials handling the issue on the frontlines. However, Xi reportedly added that more efforts were required to instill strong, rejuvenating unity in the region. 

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'Plant seeds of loving China'

Chinese state media also quoted Xi saying that the political and ideological education is required to be strengthened in schools in Tibet that can further ‘plant the seeds of loving China’ in the depths of the hearts of every youth. The Chinese President also vowed to build a ‘united, prosperous, civilised, harmonious and beautiful new, modern, socialist Tibet’. He also noted that China is required to enhance the role of Communist Party in the region along with better integrating of the ethnic groups. 

Earlier, the US had imposed travel bans on Chinese officials after claiming that they are restricting foreigners’ access to Tibet. In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian clarified that China encourages foreigners to travel to the Himalayan region.

But at the same time, he said there are ‘certain management and protection measures’ for the people coming from different nations to Tibet that lie in synergy with the law and regulations which are placed keeping in mind the ‘special geographical and climatic conditions’. 

Zhao also indicated that the US government should step back from ‘internal’ affairs with the Tibet-related issues in a bid to avoid further damage to the already spiralling relations between both nations. 

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Inputs: Agency/ Image: AP