Xi Jinping visits Lhasa ahead of 60th anniversary of Tibet Autonomous Region

LHASA(China): Chinese President Xi Jinping made a rare visit to Lhasa on 20 August 2025, marking his first visit since 2021, ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

He declared, “Tibet must fully implement the Party’s strategy for governing Tibet in the new era,” as reported by Free Tibet.

Senior figures gathered in Lhasa for a grand celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region, a political structure designed to reinforce Beijing’s control over Tibet.

The event was carefully choreographed: Chinese officials donned traditional Tibetan chupa garments, while Tibetans were instructed to offer ceremonial scarves and wave red flags as a display of loyalty. According to Free Tibet, citing local sources, plain-clothes agents closely monitored the crowd.

Free Tibet claims that the visit comes as the Chinese Communist Party intensifies its efforts to erase Tibetan identity.

On 5 August, Karma Tsering, Chairman of the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region, confirmed that from 2026, the Tibetan language will no longer be a compulsory subject in the national university entrance examination in Tibet. President Xi Jinping further underscored the drive to sinicise religion, stating, “We must systematically promote the Sinicisation of religion, strengthen the legal governance of religious affairs, and guide Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to socialist society.”

Free Tibet also reports that Xi Jinping reaffirmed the Chinese Communist Party’s core priority: maintaining absolute political control. “To govern, stabilise, and develop Tibet, the first task is to maintain Tibet’s political stability, social stability, ethnic unity, and religious harmony. We must deepen the fight against separatism and achieve significant progress in economic and social development,” he declared. He also called for “forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation” and advancing the construction of a so-called “Chinese community”, language which signals deeper assimilation, Free Tibet reported.

According to Free Tibet, Xi Jinping claimed that the message is clear: China fears Tibet’s distinct identity and enduring spirit of resistance. The CCP’s obsession with control fuels its relentless campaign to assimilate the Tibetan people, erode their language, dismantle their cultural heritage, and assert total dominance over the plateau, all under the guise of promoting “stability.” (ANI)