Steadfastly Following the Chinese Path of Promoting Human Rights and Fully Advancing the Cause of Human Rights in Tibet

It is a great dream of humanity to realize the full enjoyment of human rights by all. For the Communist Party of China, ensuring respect for and protection of human rights has been a relentless pursuit. Since the 18th CPC National Congress held in 2012, the Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core has consistently regarded respect for and protection of human rights as a national governance priority. Pursuing a people-centered development philosophy, it has put the focus and emphasis on maintaining national unity and enhancing ethnic solidarity in work related to Tibet and determined that the ultimate goal of economic and social development in the region should be to improve people’s wellbeing and rally public support. It has worked hard to see all undertakings in Tibet flourish and to effectively guarantee people’s rights to equal participation and development. As a result, our region has secured all-around progress and historic achievements in its human rights and given shape to a development paradigm defined by political and social stability, a growing economy, ethnic unity, religious harmony, consolidated border-area security, and contentment in people’s work and life.

I. The Central Committee led by Xi Jinping has attached great importance to work related to Tibet and provided a fundamental political guarantee for the progress of human rights in the region

Work related to Tibet has always been an important element in the overall endeavor of the Party and the country. Since the region’s peaceful liberation in 1951, each generation of CPC central leadership has attached great importance to Tibet, paying close attention to its development and showing concern for its people. Through a series of major plans for the region’s reform, development, and stability, they have ushered in rapid changes in the local social landscape, steady improvements in living standards, and robust safeguards for human rights.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Tibet has come to embrace even greater development opportunities. It has also entered a critical period for realizing long-term stability and high-quality development. Led by Xi Jinping, the CPC Central Committee has planned the economic and social development of Tibet from the overall strategic perspective of national rejuvenation and developed plans for enriching the wellbeing of all ethnic groups in the region. It has convened two central work conferences on Tibet to set forth and further enrich the CPC’s strategy for governing the region. Under its guidance, Tibet has been able to resolve many long-standing issues that were long on the agenda but never addressed and to accomplish many things that were wanted but never delivered. All of this has provided a fundamental political guarantee for promoting human rights in the region.

Serving at our Party’s core, as the people’s leader, and as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, General Secretary Xi has always kept in mind the happiness and wellbeing of all the people in Tibet. He has a deep concern and in-depth thinking for the region, and has given numerous speeches and issued instructions to steer the direction of work and set overall plans. In March 2013, when debuting at the annual session of the National People’s Congress, Xi Jinping joined a meeting of the Tibet delegation. During the meeting, he put forward an important strategic concept: “To govern the country well, we must first govern the frontiers well; and to govern the frontiers well, we must first ensure stability in Tibet.” In August 2015, he attended the Sixth Central Tibet Work Conference and delivered a keynote address, in which he gave a systematic exposition of our Party’s strategy for governing Tibet. In August 2020, Xi attended the Seventh Central Tibet Work Conference, at which he also delivered a keynote address—thoroughly analyzing new developments in work related to Tibet in the new era that began in 2012, summarizing our Party’s successful experiences in exercising governance, ensuring stability, and boosting development in the region, and further elaborating our Party’s strategy for governing the region in the new era on the basis of ten fundamental guidelines. (These guidelines are upholding CPC leadership, socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the system of regional ethnic autonomy; upholding the strategy on governing the border areas and ensuring stability in Tibet; focusing on safeguarding national unity and strengthening ethnic solidarity in work related to Tibet; governing Tibet in accordance with the law, bringing prosperity to Tibet and its residents, uniting the people as one, and laying a solid foundation for its long-term development; taking into consideration both the domestic and the international situations; focusing on improving people’s lives and strengthening unity in social and economic development; facilitating interactions, exchanges, and integration between ethnic groups; ensuring religions are Chinese in orientation and handling religious affairs in accordance with the law; prioritizing environmental protection; and strengthening the Party, especially in its political convictions.)

A resettlement community for people relocated from inhospitable areas in Gongkang Village, Gyaca County, Tibet Autonomous Region. PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT OF THE CPC TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGIONAL COMMITTEE

In July 2021, General Secretary Xi visited Tibet’s snowy plateau to congratulate the region on the 70th anniversary of its peaceful liberation. He visited with local officials and members of the public during his trip and outlined a blueprint for long-term stability and high-quality development in the region in the new era. To celebrate the anniversary of peaceful liberation of Tibet, Xi Jinping recorded a first in the history of the Party and the state with his visit to the region in the capacity of General Secretary of the CPC, President of the People’s Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. This was a full demonstration of his and the Central Committee’s support for the region and their special concern for the officials and people of the region. Furthermore, General Secretary Xi has also received the Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, replied to a letter from the people of Yumai Township in Lhunze County in Shannan, sent a congratulatory letter to Tibet Minzu University, and replied to a letter from medical students from Tibet University interning at Peking University Shougang Hospital. Xi’s statements and instructions regarding work in Tibet have provided the fundamental basis for building a new, modern socialist Tibet. They have served as a guide for work in the region in the new era and for promoting the advancement of human rights here.

Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the Tibet Autonomous Region has prioritized four major issues: stability, development, ecology, and border security. It has been working hard to develop itself as a model region for ethnic unity and progress, a pilot zone for high-quality development of a plateau economy, a pioneer for national ecological conservation, and a national demonstration zone for consolidating stability, boosting development, and raising living standards in border areas. We have ensured development is for the people and by the people and that it is the people who share in the benefits of development. This has enabled people to enjoy a growing sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security and brought new achievements in human rights on an ongoing basis.

II. Fully implementing the CPC’s strategy for governing Tibet in the new era to secure new achievements in Tibet’s human rights cause

Historic achievements have been made in ensuring people’s rights to subsistence and development

Absolute poverty has been eliminated once and for all in Tibet. Before liberation, the people here endured extreme poverty and unspeakable hardship. By 2019, however, absolute poverty had been eliminated in the region as a whole, with all 74 poverty-stricken counties (districts) and 628,000 registered poor people escaping impoverishment. In 2022, the average per capita income of people lifted from poverty reached 13,800 yuan, representing an annual growth rate higher than that of the per capita disposable income of rural residents as a whole. This progress has helped further consolidate our achievements in poverty alleviation and raised living standards by a significant margin. In the past, the vast majority of people in Tibet were serfs who lacked food and warm clothing. By 2022, however, overall economic output in the region had reached 216.5 billion yuan, up from 174 million yuan in 1959, and grain output had increased to 1.07 million tons, up from 182,900 tons in 1959. Per capita disposable income among urban and rural residents rose to 48,753 yuan and 18,209 yuan, respectively—increases of about 8% and 10%, respectively, compared with 2021. People’s right to life and health has also been effectively guaranteed. Before liberation, Tibet was sparsely populated and had an average life expectancy of just 35.5 years. In 2021, the region’s population reached 3.6481 million, rising from just 1.228 million in 1959. People from the Tibetan ethnic group make up 86.01% of the total regional population, and their average life expectancy has risen to 72.19 years.

An overarching improvement has been made in the protection of economic, social, and cultural rights

We have effectively implemented an employment-first strategy. Our region has carried out Covid-19 response and promoted economic and social development in a coordinated way, and we have implemented a raft of policies and measures to ease burdens, ensure employment, and expand employment. In 2022, 51,000 new urban jobs were added, and the college graduate employment rate rose to 95.6%. In each of the last five years, over 600,000 farmers and herders have transferred to non-agricultural employment.

The development of education has been made a governance priority. Indeed, Tibet was the first place in the country to implement a free 15-year education program, and we have continued to improve our policy system for subsidizing students with financial difficulties, ensuring coverage all the way from preschool to higher education. The number of schools across all levels and categories in our region stands at 3,339, and the enrolled students from both inside and outside the region is 922,000, accounting for one-quarter of the total population. The average length of education among new workforce entrants has increased to 13.1 years.

Remarkable progress has also been made in the development of medical and health care. There are 5.37 hospital beds and 6.94 health professionals per 1,000 people in the region. The number of basic public health service categories has been increased to 28, and public health service subsidies have risen to 110 yuan per person. The number of traditional Tibetan medicine institutions and health professionals has also grown exponentially, with traditional Tibetan medicine services covering all townships.

Social security benefits have been steadily improved. We have fully established a social security system covering all urban and rural residents with five main areas—old-age, medical care, unemployment, workers’ compensation, and maternity insurance. The number of individual accounts for various types of social insurance has reached 3.2038 million. We have continued to improve the social assistance system, and an average of over 240,000 people receive subsistence allowances and nearly 14,000 people in extreme difficulty are granted assistance on an annual basis.

All-around progress has been made in promoting public cultural services. We have carried out innovative cultural public-interest initiatives and refined a five-level public cultural service system. All 5,492 administrative villages and communities in Tibet are served by cultural performance teams, which engage over 100,000 full- and part-time performers.

Political and civil rights have been fully guaranteed and advanced throughout the governance process

The people’s right to run their own affairs has been truly realized. In Tibet, people of all ethnicities fully exercise their right to administer national and local affairs as stipulated by the Constitution and laws of China. Tibet has 24 representatives in the 14th National People’s Congress, 16 of whom are from the Tibetan and other ethnic minority groups, accounting for 66.7% of the total. Tibetans and people from other ethnic minority groups also make up 89.2% of the 42,153 delegates among the four levels of people’s congresses in our region. The position of chairperson of the people’s government of Tibet has always been filled by a member of the Tibetan ethnic group, and steady efforts have been made to improve the appointment and training of officials from ethnic minority groups. As a result, officials and talented individuals from various ethnic minority groups, predominantly the Tibetan ethnic group, have come to serve as integral members of Tibet’s team of officials and the mainstay of its various industries.

Visitors tour the newly renovated memorial hall in Khesum, Shannan City, Tibet Autonomous Region, March 28, 2023. On the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the liberation of one million serfs in Tibet, the memorial hall in Khesum, the first village to adopt democratic reform in Tibet, reopened to the public. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER SUN FEI

We have kept alive and further developed the best elements of traditional culture. The learning and use of the Tibetan language are protected by law, and the Tibetan language and script are widely used. Tibetan classics have been effectively protected and put to use. We have effectively carried forward, protected, and developed various intangible cultural heritage projects, and further improved the four-level intangible heritage protection system covering the national, autonomous region, prefecture, and county levels. Tibetan opera, the Epic of King Gesar, and traditional Tibetan medicinal bathing have been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The traditional customs of all ethnic groups are fully respected, and freedom of religious belief is guaranteed by law. In Tibet, all religions and denominations are equal, and all people, whether religious believers or not, are treated the same. The region is home to more than 1,700 places of worship and over 1,700 religious and folk events, fully meeting believers’ legitimate religious needs. All monks and nuns registered in the autonomous region have been included in the social security net, with full coverage of medical insurance, old-age insurance, subsistence allowances, and personal accident insurance.

Equality and unity among all ethnic groups have been further enhanced. Focusing on the main task of forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, we have carried out extensive activities to promote ethnic unity and progress. We have carried out awareness-raising activities themed around the Chinese Dream, patriotism, and the differences in Tibet before and after liberation. We have carried out activities putting emphasis on gratitude to the Party and love of the leadership core; on unity and love of the country; on contribution and love of our home; and on civility and a love of life. We have strengthened the sense of national identity, civic duty, and rule of law among people and enhanced understanding of the history of the CPC, the People’s Republic of China, reform and opening up, and the development of socialism, as well as awareness of the historical ties between Tibet and the rest of China and the struggle against secession. The economic and cultural ties between people in Tibet and the rest of the country have become closer, with the emergence of more mixed communities and stronger emotional bonds. All this has given rise to a vibrant dynamic in which all ethnic groups are working together for prosperity and development and the Chinese nation is united as one family striving in unity to make the Chinese dream a reality.

Protection of environmental rights has been further enhanced

We have made new strides in consolidating environmental governance achievements. Fifty percent of the region’s land area is now protected by ecological conservation red lines. In 2022, 100% of all source areas for centralized urban drinking water met the required quality standards, water and soil erosion were curbed on 746 square kilometers of land, and more than 291,000 hectares of degraded grasslands were restored, ensuring that Tibet remains a national leader in terms of environmental quality.

We have generated fresh momentum for promoting green and low-carbon development. We have carried out a baseline assessment for peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060, drawn up a carbon-peaking implementation plan, and launched pollution and carbon reduction initiatives in several key sectors, including energy, industry, transportation, and construction. The “1+N” policy framework for peaking carbon has also largely been instituted.

We have achieved fresh success in ecological protection. By 2022, forest coverage in Tibet reached 12.31%, total vegetation coverage on natural grasslands rose to 48.02%, and wetland areas were extended to cover 6.529 million hectares. The proportion of days with excellent air quality in key towns and cities exceeded 99%, and the water quality of major rivers and lakes was at or above Grade III quality standards.

The rights of specific groups have been ensured with special safeguards

We have effectively protected the rights and interests of women and children. In 2022, maternal and infant mortality rates in Tibet dropped to 45.8 per 100,000 population and 7 per 1,000 population, respectively. The student retention rate for nine-year compulsory education and the female gross enrollment ratio for senior secondary education reached 96.94% and 90.2%, respectively. There are 156 legal aid agencies in Tibet, as well as 31 collegial panels for safeguarding the rights of women and children.

We have continued to improve the mechanisms for protecting the rights and interests of elderly people. We have established an eldercare service network that coordinates home, community, and facility care to satisfy different medical and health care needs. Our region currently has a total of 145 eldercare service institutions and facilities, which are equipped with 13,000 bed spaces. We have improved the schemes for elderly care service subsidies, nursing care subsidies for functionally impaired seniors, and subsidies for functionally impaired seniors of advanced age who are experiencing financial difficulties. Close to 67,000 elderly people have benefited from these schemes.

Notable progress has been made in protecting the rights and interests of people with disabilities. We have steadily expanded and raised standards for living allowances for people with disabilities who are experiencing financial difficulties and for nursing subsidies for people with severe disabilities, with payments for these two schemes reaching 100 yuan and 200 yuan, respectively. Since 2012, total subsidy payments for these two schemes have amounted to almost 1 billion yuan and benefited over 800,000 recipients with disabilities. At present, 15,789 people with certified disabilities within the working age range of 16-59 are in employment, and 97.15% of school-age children and teenagers with disabilities are enrolled in compulsory education.

The tremendous progress that has been made in advancing human rights in Tibet in the new era illustrates several important points. It shows that to fully advance human rights in Tibet, we must ensure the harmony between the CPC’s leadership and the socialist system on one hand and on the other our respect for and protection of human rights; we must fully implement General Secretary Xi’s important instructions on work related to Tibet and our Party’s strategy for governing Tibet in the new era; we must promote human rights protection through development; we must follow a people-centered human rights philosophy; and we must aim to ensure people’s well-rounded development.

III. Steadfastly following the Chinese path of promoting human rights and continuing to promote the all-around advancement of human rights in Tibet

In protecting human rights, one can always do better; we are always moving forward and our work is never complete. To build a new, modern socialist Tibet on the new journey and significantly bolster protection for economic, political, social, cultural, and environmental rights, we must steadfastly stick to the Chinese path of promoting human rights and continue to ensure the all-around advancement of human rights in Tibet.

We will develop a national model area for ethnic unity and progress and continue to forge new progress in ensuring long-term stability in Tibet

The development of such a model area will serve as our primary task in building a new, modern socialist Tibet. We will ensure national unity, ethnic solidarity, and social stability and take a clear-cut stance in the struggle against separatism, so as to firmly safeguard China’s national sovereignty, security, and development interests. We will develop new practices to strengthen social governance. By intensifying our efforts and tackling shortcomings in our work, we will modernize our social governance system and capacity. We will fully implement the Regulations on the Establishment of Model Areas for Ethnic Unity and Progress in Tibet Autonomous Region, work to raise public awareness around the promotion of ethnic unity and progress, and expand the “united as one family” initiative to promote ethnic unity. We will work hard to foster a vibrant environment in which people of all ethnic groups look out for and help each other, make progress together, and seek extensive interactions, broad exchanges, and further integration with each other. Further steps will be taken to see that Tibetan Buddhism is Chinese in orientation and to actively guide it in adapting to socialist society.

We will develop a pilot area for the high-quality development of a plateau economy and continue to break new ground in promoting high-quality development in Tibet

We will continue to ensure and improve people’s wellbeing in social-economic development and promote human rights progress through such development. To this end, to foster a pilot area for the high-quality development of a plateau economy will constitute an important task in building a new, modern socialist Tibet. In this new stage of development, we will fully and faithfully implement the new philosophy of development and create a new development dynamic. We will apply the “three purposes and one benefit” principle in development, namely, that all development should serve the purpose of ethnic unity and progress, the purpose of unity and anti-separatism, and the purpose of improvement of people’s wellbeing and consolidation of their support, while bolstering people’s sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security. We will optimize the primary industry, expand the secondary industry, and upgrade the tertiary industry and go all out to consolidate our economic foundations, so as to fortify the underpinning for high-quality development. We will move faster to develop distinctive agriculture and animal husbandry, clean energy, superior mineral resources, light industry, green building materials, general aviation, natural drinking water, and other industries and continue to advance the “Digital Tibet” initiative. We will promote transformation and upgrading in the cultural and tourism sectors, take steps to foster emerging strategic industries as economic pillars, and make a serious push to turn the superior resources of our region into advantages for our economy and our development. We will continue to implement the rural revitalization strategy, consolidate and build on our achievements in poverty alleviation, and carry out rural development initiatives with a view to building a beautiful and harmonious countryside that is desirable to live and work in.

We will serve as a pioneer for national ecological conservation and continue reaching new heights in building a beautiful Tibet

Following Xi Jinping Thought on ecological conservation, we will regard the development of our region as a pioneer in this respect as an integral requirement for building a new, modern socialist Tibet. Making the protection of the ecological environment on the plateau our top priority, we will fully apply the notion that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, as are the ice and snow of the plateau. We will consider ecological protection of paramount importance and pursue a holistic and systematic approach to the conservation and improvement of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, deserts, and glaciers. We will step up ecosystem protection and restoration efforts, implement major ecosystem projects, and safeguard redlines for ecological security. These efforts will help enhance the quality and stability of our ecosystems and effectively protect the animal and plant life, mountains, and rivers on the plateau.

We will develop a national demonstration zone for consolidating stability, boosting development, and raising living standards in border areas and continue to make new strides in ensuring stability and security in border areas

We will make the development of such a zone a strategic task in building a new, modern socialist Tibet. We will step up development in border areas to build industries based on local characteristics and strengths and strive to improve infrastructure and people’s work and living conditions. We will steadily bolster economic support and forge a new paradigm featuring safeguards for people’s wellbeing, avenues for prosperity, strong momentum for security, and supporting pillars for development. This will ensure stability and security in border areas and enable people in such areas to live and work in peace and contentment.

A thangka work entitled “A Happy New Home.” This modern-themed thangka painting depicts the Mingma Community, a resettlement site for people relocated from inhospitable areas in Lhatse County, Xigaze City, Tibet Autonomous Region. Thangka art, regarded as an encyclopedia of Tibetan culture, involves a complex production process and follows rigorous painting rules, especially in the selection and matching of pigments. In 2006, thangka painting was inscribed on China’s first list of intangible cultural heritage. While adhering to unique traditional forms, an initiative to produce modern-themed thangka artwork has led to an exploration of subject matters in greater depth and breadth than ever before. XIGAZE MUNICIPAL BUREAU OF CULTURE

We will promote the law-based governance of Tibet and continue to work for new advances in the law-based protection of human rights

We will see that human rights are respected and protected throughout the entire process of advancing the rule of law in Tibet, fully implementing the Chinese Constitution and the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy. We will build a law-based government that has well-conceived functions and statutorily-defined powers and responsibilities, strictly enforces the law, and is open and impartial, clean and efficient, and credible and law-abiding. We will improve local legislation, strengthen law-based administration, improve the mechanism for judicial transparency, and enhance law enforcement and judicial work. We will heighten public awareness of the law and set in place robust legal guarantees to ensure respect for and protection of human rights.

We will enhance social programs and score new success in ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights by the people of Tibet

Meeting the people’s aspirations for a better life will remain the goal we strive for. We will always remember that the people’s support is the greatest political force, the people’s will is our greatest source of motivation, and public sentiment is the greatest determinant of stability. All seemingly minor matters in the lives of the people will be issues of the greatest importance in the eyes of Party committees and governments in the region. We will improve the service system for employment and business start-ups and do a good job of helping specific groups such as college graduates and migrant workers find employment and set up businesses. We will ensure that education lives up to the people’s expectations and elevate the quality of education and teaching region-wide. We will vigorously implement the Healthy Tibet initiative, and improve the social security net, the basic public services and social security benefits, so that people truly feel a strong sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security.

We will resolutely strengthen the CPC’s leadership of human rights work and continue to make new advances for human rights in Tibet

The CPC’s leadership will continue to serve as the fundamental guarantee for the advancement of human rights in Tibet. We will ensure CPC leadership is exercised in all sectors, aspects, and key links for promoting human rights, so as to ensure the correct orientation. Adhering to the principle of the Party supervising officials, we will select officials on the basis of both integrity and ability, with greater weight given to integrity, and on the basis of merit regardless of background. We will follow an explicit approach of appointing officials based on ability and making evaluations based on actual achievements, and refine the institutional mechanisms for identifying outstanding personnel. We will continue to take coordinated steps to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to become corrupt and strictly punish corruption to effectively safeguard the people’s interests. We take the view that the improvement of work conduct is an unceasing endeavor and will carry out regular activities to improve conduct and ensure implementation. In doing so, we will see that under the CPC’s leadership, the guidelines, principles, and policies for advancing human rights take root and produce concrete results on the snowy plateau of Tibet.

(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 7, 2023)