Any separatist attempts in Tibet would be crushed, Vice-President Xi Jinping vowed yesterday at a rally marking the 60th anniversary of the region's 'peaceful liberation'. Xi called the remote Himalayan region a 'national security screen' whose stability Beijing was determined to protect.
In a speech watched closely by analysts, overseas Tibetan communities and Washington, Xi, widely expected to become Communist Party chief next year, also attributed Tibet's development in the past six decades to the party's leadership and promised to continue economic reforms.
'The extraordinary development of Tibet over the past 60 years points to an irrefutable truth: without the Chinese Communist Party, there would have been no new China, no new Tibet,' Xi told an audience of thousands assembled in front of Lhasa's iconic Potala Palace.
'We should thoroughly fight against separatist activities by the Dalai clique by firmly relying on all ethnic groups ... and completely smash any plot to destroy stability in Tibet and jeopardise national unity.'
Xi's speech came a few days after the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, met US President Barack Obama at the White House - a meeting that was strongly condemned by Beijing.
Xi also praised the role of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police in the region, calling them 'loyal guardians'.
'Working in unity with fellow countrymen, cadres and people of all ethnic groups in Tibet are fully confident and capable of upholding and strengthening social stability and unity in Tibet,' he said.