The new party secretary of Tibet has vowed to increase vigilance against separatist activities as mainland leaders accused the West of stirring up unrest in the region.
'Our task is to fight against Tibetan splittism to safeguard social stability,' Xinhua quoted Guo Jinlong as saying at a party meeting in Lhasa on Sunday.
He said stability in the region was important to attract investment needed for the economic development of the region.
After crushing repeated protests, Mr Guo claimed Tibetan authorities had effectively checked separatist unrest and had gained an upper hand in the fight.
Mr Guo, 53, a veteran Han Chinese who has served almost a decade in Tibet, was named party secretary of the sensitive region earlier this month.
A native of Jiangsu province, Mr Guo had been Tibet's deputy secretary since 1993. He succeeds Chen Kuiyuan, who has been transferred to Henan province as party secretary.
The Government has met with stubborn resistance in Tibet in its efforts to stamp out separatist unrest since the Dalai Lama fled into exile in 1959. Beijing authorities have accused the Dalai Lama of masterminding assassinations and explosions in the region.
