CHINA-TIBET: EXTERNAL PUBLICITY
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Addressing the opening ceremony of the two-day forum on the development of Tibet, Losang Jamcan, Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government said that 'Leap-frog development is the basis for and key to solve all problems Tibet' and that the region' s sustainable development is at the core. He added that "Tibet will never develop at the expense of its environment," and that "To protect Tibet' s environment is the biggest contribution we can make to the nation and even humankind." He also vowed to maintain social stability and harmony. Also speaking at the opening ceremony, Cui Yuying, Vice Head of the Information Office of China' s State Council, said some people insist Tibet should remain primitive and any development of the region equals the annihilation of Tibetan culture and the region's environment. She said "To their understanding, Tibetans should always ride yaks and live in tents."
Among those attending from India are Narasimhan Ram, Chairman of India' s Kasturi & Sons Limited, publisher of The Hindu newspaper. He said that the rapid and sustainable development of Tibet within the socialist system, in a way that benefits the region's 3 million people, is one of China' s strategic objectives. "Tibet has been visibly transformed by double-digit GDP growth over two decades without a break and has entered a new stage of development," he said. N.Ram added that he believed the defining factors behind Tibet' s overall development include massive financial and resource support provided by the Chinese government, its preferential policies for Tibet, rapid infrastructure development and the building of a comprehensive modern transportation system. N.Ram said "As a result of this development, Tibet' s interaction and integration with the rest of China has deepened and its isolation from the rest of the world has decisively been ended." Neil Davison, Labor's shadow Advocate General sitting in the House of Lords of the British Parliament, said few people in his country really understand the type of development taking place in Tibet. He said through forums like the ongoing one and the power of media, people' s understanding of Tibet can be developed.
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