Xi Jinping has arrived in Tibet for events to mark the 60th anniversary of the autonomous region, making him the first Chinese president to attend the once-a-decade activities.
He arrived in Lhasa around noon on Wednesday with a high-level entourage including Wang Huning, China’s top political adviser and fourth-ranking official; Cai Qi, the president’s chief of staff; Li Ganjie, head of the United Front Work Department; Vice-Premier He Lifeng; and Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
On Wednesday afternoon, Xi met various officials from the region, public security officers, and religious figures, including the Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, CCTV reported.
Xi said local authorities had four areas to focus on: stability, development, environmental protection and border defence.
“To govern and to develop Tibet, the first thing to do is to ensure political and social stability, as well as ethnic unity and that religious people are in harmony with society,” state news agency Xinhua quoted him as saying.
Xi told the cadres to promote the use of Mandarin, as well as economic, cultural and personnel exchanges between Tibet and the rest of the country.