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Milestone in Tibet's Reform, Development and Stability
The Fourth Tibetan Work Forum held by the Party Central Committee and the State Council in Beijing from June 25 to 27 defined the guideline for the Tibetan work in the early new century, i.e., guided by Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Comrade Jiang Zemin's "three represent's" and persisting in taking economic construction as the central task, we should continue to firmly grasp developing the economy and stabilizing the situation as the two major tasks, guarantee Tibet's accelerated economic development and comprehensive social progress, guarantee national security and Tibet's long-lasting peace and stability and guarantee steady improvement in the living standards for people of various ethnic groups in Tibet.
In the summer of seven years ago, the CPC Central Committee's third generation leading collective held the Third Tibetan Work Forum, formulating the principles guiding the Tibetan work in the new historical period. Over the past seven years, Tibet has witnessed accelerated economic development, comprehensive social progress and steady improvement in people's living standards; the struggle against secessionism has been continually deepened, the social and political situation has remained basically stable; the fundamental policy for the Tibetan work in the new historical period has gone deep into the hearts of the people, Party building has been constantly strengthened. Tibet has entered one of the best periods of development and stability in history.
"Stressing Tibetan Work Actually Means Stressing Work of Overall Interests; Supporting Tibetan Work Actually Means Supporting Work of the Whole Situation."
The CPC Central Committee's third generation leading collective with Comrade Jiang Zemin at the core, inheriting and carrying forward the Party's first and second generations collective leadership's fine traditions of paying attention to and showing concern for the Tibetan work, timely put the question of Tibet's stability and development on the agenda and approached and studied the Tibetan work from a strategic height and an overall point of view. The Third Forum clearly pointed out, "the Tibetan work holds an important strategic position in the entire work of the Party and State, Tibet's stability affect's the State's stability; Tibet's development concerns the development of the State; Tibet's security concerns national security."
"Stressing the Tibetan work actually means stressing work of the overall interests; supporting the Tibetan work actually means supporting work of the whole situation." Based on strategic consideration and strategic positioning of the Tibetan work, the CPC Central Committee, at the Third Forum, issued a call for attention to and support of the Tibetan work.
After comprehensively analyzing the special difficulties and favorable conditions regarding Tibet's economic and social development under a socialist market economy condition, the CPC Central Committee set the practicable development goal and formulated preferential policies and supportive measures for Tibet in the eight aspects of financial taxation, banking, investment and fund-raising, price subsidies, foreign trade, social security, enterprise reform, agriculture and animal husbandry. The 62 "Daqing projects" arranged by the State, which involve paid-in investments exceeding 4.8 billion yuan, have been completed and put into use.
Since 1995, more than 40 ministries and commissions of the central authorities and various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government, particularly the 15 provinces and cities giving counterpart-aid to Tibet have sent out in succession 1,268 outstanding cadres in two groups to work in Tibet, put in nearly 3.2 billion yuan of funds and carried out 716 aiding-Tibet projects which have now blossomed and borne fruits.
"Tibet's Stability Is the Prerequisite Guaranteeing the Sustainable Development of Various Tibetan Undertakings and the Gradual Improvement in People's Living Standards. Tibet's Stability Is of Important Significance to the Country's Reform, Development and Stability."
Among the guiding principles for the Tibetan work during the new historical period, there is a repeatedly emphasized theme, that is waging clear-cut, tit-for-tat struggle against secessionism and earnestly maintaining Tibet's stability, ethnic solidarity and the unification of the motherland.
"Tibet's stability is the prerequisite guaranteeing the sustainable development of various Tibetan undertakings and the gradual improvement of people's living standards. Tibet's stability is of important significance to the country's reform, development and stability." Instability of Tibet roots mainly in the obstruction and sabotage of the Dalai clique. Tibet has conducted region-wide public exposure and criticisms of the Dalai Lama's crimes, captured and confiscated the Dalai clique's reactionary propaganda materials and firmly held the initiative of anti-splitting struggle in its own hands; the work of conducting patriotic education, publicity and education in the legal system and restoration of normal order widely in monasteries and temples has been carried out in the region, which has shaken the social foundation of the Dalai separatist clique engaging in splitting activities in the region; frustrated the various splitting and sabotage activities carried out by the Dalai clique, and foiled the Dalai clique's plot of taking advantage of the opportunity of the reincarnation of Bainqen to wreck Tibet and confuse religions, thus satisfactorily fulfilling the grand Buddhist event of the reincarnation of Bainqen.
It is particularly important to strengthen socialist cultural and ethical progress and consolidate the ideological and cultural position in Tibet. Tibet persists in conducting region-wide education in the four outlooks (the Marxist outlook on the motherland, nationality, religion and culture) and in the two theories (materialism and atheism) focused on cultural and ethical development featuring the combination of destruction and construction and the elimination of chaos and ignorance.
To achieve stability and long-lasting peace and tranquillity, it is necessary to pay attention to Party building and the construction of cadre ranks. A group of cadres with both abilities and political integrity have been assigned to strengthen leading bodies at all levels.
"In All Aspects of Tibet's Development, It Is Necessary to Focus on Bringing Benefits to the Tibetan People, Improve Their Material and Cultural Lives and on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress."
Due to the limitation of natural conditions and historical reasons, in the first 10-plus years since the introduction of the reform and opening up policy, the gap between Tibet's economic and cultural developmental level and that of the inland and the east coastal developed regions, instead of being reduced, has conversely tended to be further broadened. The Party Central Committee has given this careful consideration, the Third Forum pointed out: In "accelerating Tibet's development, it is necessary to have a positive rate of development, otherwise, the gap between Tibet and other localities would continue to be excessively widened, this is unfavorable to gradually realizing common affluence and common prosperity." In all aspects of Tibet's development, it is necessary to focus on bringing benefits to the Tibetan people, improve their material and cultural lives and on promoting ethnic unity and progress."
Development is key to solving all problems. Looking back to the past seven years, we find that developing socialist productive forces has always been the main melody that resounds throughout the vast land of the snow-clad region; every policy formulated by the Party Central Committee and each measure taken by Tibet take this as the starting-point and end-result.
The past seven years have seen the sustained and rapid growth of the national economy. Last year, the region's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 11.742 billion yuan, a 96.3 percent increase over 1994, with the average annual increase being 11.9 percent. Positive progress has been achieved in the readjustment of the industrial structure and a batch of famous, quality and new special products have been developed. And notable improvement has been made in infrastructure construction. For instance, an airport, power grid, power station, and pivotal project have been completed and put into operation one after another.
The past seven years have witnessed the fast development of various social undertakings. At present, the region boasts 956 schools of various types and at various levels, with a student body of 381,500 people, the attendance rate of school-age children has reached 85.8 percent. The region has fostered a batch of high and new technology enterprises and products, taking an important step toward industrialization of science and technology, the contribution made by science and technology to economic growth has been visibly raised. Culture, public health, sports and various other social undertakings have continued to develop.
The past seven years have seen remarkable improvement in people's living standards. Last year, the region's total grain output hit 962,200 tons, livestock breeding on hand reached 22.66 million head, bringing about a historic turn of basic self-sufficiency in grain, edible oil and meat; per-capita net income of farmers and herdsmen and the per-capita disposable income of urban residents reached 1,331 yuan and 6,448 yuan , with respective increases standing at 62.9 percent and 93.6 percent over 1994. TV sets, refrigerators, washing machines, sound systems and telephones have poured into ordinary urban and rural families.
"Earnestly Strengthening Party Building, Promoting the Advancement of Tibet's Economy from Accelerated Development to Leaping Development and the Advancement of the Situation in Tibetan Society from Basic Stability to Long-lasting Peace and Tranquillity."
The Fourth Forum pointed out, "Earnestly strengthening Party building, promoting the advancement of the Tibetan economy from accelerated development to a leaping development and the advancement of the situation from basic stability to long-lasting peace and tranquillity." The meeting decided to build 117 projects with direct State investments totaling around 31.2 billion yuan; During the 10th Five-year Plan period, the central financial department's support and subsidies to Tibet will reach 37.9 billion yuan, doubling that in the 9th Five-year Plan period, striving for an average annual GDP growth of 12 percent for Tibet during the 10th Five-year Plan period.
Efforts for nationwide counterpart-aiding work has been further intensified. The Party Central Committee has decided to extend the counterpart-aid work from the original 10 years to another 10 years and at the same time enlarge the counterpart-aid scope, some large State-owned enterprises will be added to the ranks participating in the work of aiding Tibet.
Maintaining Tibet's stability and development and safeguarding the unification and security of the motherland is an important political task of the Tibetan work. The autonomous region has clearly stated that there will be no change in the status of the work of persistently maintaining stability in the new century, in the policy measures for maintaining stability and in the responsibilities and tasks of Party and government organizations at all levels for maintaining stability, the autonomous region will firmly grasp the initiative of waging struggle against secessionism. At the same time, guided by the important thought of the "three represent's", it will earnestly strengthen ideological and political construction with the struggle against splittism as the main content, it will pay high attention to the organizational construction focused on the grass-roots level, particularly on townships and towns, it will build Party organizations at all levels in Tibet into staunch cores and combat bastions that lead the people of the region to realize leaping development and ensure long-lasting peace and stability.
Speeding up development and maintaining stability. This is the will of the Republic, the common view of the entire people including the people of various ethnic groups in Tibet and the historically proved correct guiding thought for the Tibetan work in the new historical period that faithfully represents the fundamental interests of the people of various ethnic groups in Tibet.
We are convinced that "with the staunch leadership of the Party Central Committee and the selfless assistance from various fraternal nationalities in the big family of the motherland, a united, prosperous, civilized socialist new Tibet will take big strides in its journey toward the new century.
This report was written by our reporters Wang Jianxin and Yue Furong.
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