(Adnkronos) – Chinese President Xi Jinping made an unexpected visit to Tibet, appearing before 20,000 people to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Autonomous Region, established in 1965 after annexation by Beijing. In his speech in Lhasa, Xi urged maintaining “political stability, ethnic unity and religious harmony,” praising local authorities for the “fight against separatism,” referring to the historic Tibetan resistance to Chinese authority.
The visit to the region, only Xi’s second as president, comes at a delicate time, two months after the Dalai Lama’s announcement that it will be his office, and not China, that will decide the appointment of his successor. Beijing, on the other hand, claims the exclusive right of supervision over the succession and continues to consider the Tibetan spiritual leader, in exile since 1959, as a separatist. Xi also reiterated the Chinese Communist Party’s vision for Tibet, indicating four priorities: stability, development, environmental protection and border strengthening, in addition to promoting the national language and controlling religious activities.
The visit is part of a broader project of economic and cultural integration and coincides with the start of construction of the Motuo Hydropower Station, destined to become the world’s largest dam. With an estimated investment of 1.2 trillion yuan (about 160 billion euros), the plant, according to Beijing, will guarantee ecological protection and local prosperity. However, experts and neighboring governments, including India and Bangladesh, have expressed concerns about the potential impacts on the water management of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which flows through multiple countries in the Himalayan region.
