China issues white paper on CPC policies on governance of Xizang in new era

BEIJING -- China's State Council Information Office on Friday released a white paper on the policies of the Communist Party of China on the governance of Xizang autonomous region in the new era.

The white paper, titled "CPC Policies on the Governance of Xizang in the New Era: Approach and Achievements," highlighted that the CPC's guidelines for governing Xizang in the new era have brought about all-round progress and historic success in various undertakings in the region.

Full text: Communist Party of China Policies on the Governance of Xizang in the New Era: Approach and Achievements

5G networks cover all counties, main townships in Xizang

The 5G networks now cover all counties and main townships in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region.

A total of 8,099 5G base stations and nearly 312,600 km of fiber-optic cables have been built in Xizang.

Optical fiber broadband, 4G, radio and TV signals cover almost all administrative villages in the region. Modern cloud and network integration has enabled local people to connect with the world online.

Xizang earmarks over 325m yuan for intangible cultural heritage protection

The central government and the local government of Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region had earmarked over 325 million yuan (about $45.26 million) between 2012 and 2022 for protecting intangible cultural heritage items.

Xizang has 106 ICH items on the national representative list with 96 bearers, and 460 items on the regional list with 522 bearers. Three items -- Gesar, Tibetan Opera, and the Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa of Xizang -- have been registered on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Xizang GDP grows by 128% from 2012 to 2022

The 2022 GDP of Xizang reached 213.26 billion yuan (about $29.7 billion), 2.28 times of that in 2012 calculated at constant prices.

The increase represented an average annual growth rate of 8.6 percent, which ranked among the highest in China.

Xizang fully guarantees freedom of religious belief

The Xizang autonomous region fully guarantees the freedom of religious belief and religious activities are carried out in an orderly manner.

The region today hosts over 1,700 sites for Tibetan Buddhism activities with approximately 46,000 Buddhist monks and nuns, four mosques with about 12,000 native Muslims, and one Catholic church with over 700 believers.

Over 1,700 religious and folk activities, including the Shoton Festival, Butter Lamp Festival, Saga Dawa Festival and the walks around lakes and mountains, help to preserve the solemn traditional rituals and demonstrate new vitality with modern cultural elements.