TIBET, a country located in southeast China, is a plateau surrounded by the highest mountain ranges in the world. Rich in water and forestry resources and with a varied fauna, it possesses exquisite landscapes which attract thousands of tourists every year.

For many years this country has also been subject to media manipulations promoted by the West which, with phrases such as "opposition to the government and "usurpation of powers," attempt to describe what is allegedly occurring there, although the reality is quite different.

Contrary to the position defended by the corporate media, many historic records confirm the existence of Tibet as an inalienable part of Chinese territory. The Ming dynasty, which governed China from 1368 and 1644, exercised state sovereignty in this area, as did the succeeding Qing dynasty, which ruled it until 1911.

In the 20th century, the territory of Tibet was disputed by Mongol, Nepalese and British invaders, attracted by its proximity to ancient trade routes. Then with the strengthening and expansion of Buddhism, the current of devotees to the Dali Lama and Panche-Lama emerged. Slaves constituted 80% of the population and lived under a regime of semi-slavery, which was abolished with the entry of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in 1950 and the subsequent democratic reform of 1959.

In 1951, the nascent People’s Republic drew up the Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, which envisaged joint local and Chinese central government administration and implemented agrarian reforms. General elections were initiated 10 years later and, for the first time, Tibetans obtained elementary civil rights.

That was the point at which the feudal class – expropriated and in revolt – initiated its counterrevolutionary activities. Monasteries were converted into arsenals for weapons supplied by the CIA which in March 1959 backed a landowners’ rebellion. When the rebellion was defeated by the Chinese army, the Dalai Lama, his principal collaborators of high clerical rank and the nobility fled to India. From there, with the aid of Western governments, they continue provoking acts of political destabilization against China.

For example, in 2008, a media campaign financed by the U.S. government was mounted in an attempt to create an adverse environment around the Beijing Olympics. As on other occasions, the Chinese government was able to neutralize the maneuver.

Feudal Tibet lacked electricity, highways and hospitals, a panorama which changed radically with the arrival of socialism; there has been notable progress in infrastructural works and the standard of living of the population, a population which can now participate in the affairs of local and state administration, as enshrined in the constitution.

From 2006 to 2010, the Chinese government invested 137.8 billion yuans ($20.3 billion) in Tibet’s development. This amount funded 188 key projects ranging from the construction of basic urban services, environmental protection and cultural conservation.

A highway was built from Lhasa, the capital, to Gonggar airport. Now, 80% of Tibetan villages are linked by highways, its 2.76 million inhabitants have access to potable water and free education through secondary level for every child. At the same time the infant mortality rate has fallen and the life expectancy rate has increased.

Chinese government financing also facilitated the construction of electrical generating plants and telecommunications installations in remote villages. In rural areas, 150,000 homes for farmers and shepherds have been constructed, as well as 95 hospitals.

However, although there has been rapid growth over the years, the Tibetan plateau continues to be one of the least developed areas of China. Its weak economy makes it to a large extent dependent on central government investment. Thus an aid program was implemented in 1994 to encourage officials and professionals from all over the country to work there.

"Since this program was launched, Chinese provinces, municipalities, central government departments and principal state enterprises have provided personnel, materials, and financial and technological support for Tibet, all of which has given a tremendous boost to the region’s economic, social and cultural development," noted Vice President Xi Jinping, at an event in Lhasa celebrating the 60th anniversary of peaceful liberation.

He also highlighted the role of the Autonomous Regional Committee of Tibet within the Chinese Communist Party, and of the Tibetan government in leading the population with the aim of safeguarding unity and national ethnic security. "Central government support must be combined with the region’s autonomous development capacity in order to take maximum advantage of its potential," Xi stated.