GENEVA, March 1 -- The rapid social and economic development of China's Tibet Autonomous Region and the tremendous changes in the lives of residents there are attributed to the all-time supportive government policies, strong fiscal aid from the central government, and assistance from other provinces and enterprises, a senior Tibetan researcher said on Friday.

Zhaluo, a consultant with China Society for Human Rights Studies and also a research fellow with China Tibetology Research Center, made the remarks at a sideline meeting, titled "Development and Progress of Human Rights in Tibet", during the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

In recent years, he said, Tibet has witnessed a rapid economic and social development, in which its macroeconomy has transformed from over-dependence on agriculture and animal husbandry to a fairly diversified structure comprising agriculture, animal husbandry, processing industry, and various cultural sectors, including the Thangka, a Tibetan Buddhist painting art.

In order to further narrow the income gap between urban and rural residents, Tibet has also stepped up the effort to build a new socialist countryside, and is planning to implement the strategy of rural vitalization, he added.

Speaking of the consumption structure of Tibetan residents, Zhaluo said that the consumption hotspots in the 1980s were watches, bicycles and radios, while in 2018, they turned into cars, houses and mobile phones. Such changes reflect the improvement of the Tibetans' living standards.

The development of Tibet, he said, first of all benefited from the fact that local governments at all levels have always put the improvement of the living standards of local peasants and herdsmen at the core and formulated a number of preferential policies.

In addition, the central government has increased financial aid to Tibet, while developed provinces and large state-owned enterprises from East China have offered extensive partner assistance in infrastructure construction and management talents.

Tibet is committed to green development today, welcoming international cooperation teams to conduct ecological research there, he said.

While downsizing the mining industry, Tibet is also promoting cultural tourism and striving to reduce damage to the environment, he added.