Xi makes rare visit to Tibet as China marks 60 years of contested rule

Beijing marks a symbolic anniversary

On the event date, Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a rare visit to Tibet, traveling to Lhasa to mark 60 years since Beijing consolidated its contested rule over the Himalayan region.

The visit was presented by Chinese state media as a ceremonial and political show of support for a region the government says is flourishing under Communist Party leadership. Xinhua said Xi was welcomed by people from various ethnic groups and urged the building of a modern socialist Tibet that would be united, prosperous, civilized, harmonious and beautiful.

The political meaning of the trip is hard to miss. Tibet remains one of China's most sensitive regions, with the government insisting it has been part of Chinese territory for centuries and critics arguing that Beijing's control rests on occupation, repression and demographic change. The AP report notes that communist forces occupied Tibet in 1951 and that the Tibet autonomous region was established in 1965 under Mao Zedong.

The report also summarizes the long record of restrictions that followed: the demolition of monasteries, the imprisonment of monks, the movement of large numbers of Han Chinese into the region, the near closure of Tibet to journalists and foreigners, and the detention of Tibetan children in boarding schools where Mandarin is emphasized.

Religion and succession remain central to the dispute. China claims the right to appoint the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, who turned 90 and lives in exile in India after fleeing in 1959. That succession question is likely to matter far beyond Tibet, because it touches identity, legitimacy and the future of Tibetan Buddhism.

The visit also came against the backdrop of regional tension with India. The AP report notes that Tibet's southern border with India is heavily militarized and that China has been building infrastructure there for possible military use. The same week, exiled Tibetans protested in India against the Chinese foreign minister's visit there.

The significance of Xi's trip lies not only in the location but in its rarity. High-profile visits to Tibet are tightly choreographed and intended to project confidence, loyalty and control. They are also reminders that Beijing views Tibet not as a question of sovereignty but as a settled matter of national administration.

For critics, the anniversary highlights the opposite: that Tibetan identity, culture and political expression remain under sustained pressure. The event therefore served as both celebration and assertion of power, with the Chinese state using the optics of a presidential visit to reinforce its narrative of stability while opponents continue to frame Tibet as a place of unresolved coercion.