The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has opened new horizons for China and the rest of the world and it has also generated new opportunities for Tibet’s opening-up and development, said a senior official at a forum recently held in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China.

The forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the people’s government of Tibet Autonomous Region, gathered nearly 160 scholars and officials from 37 countries and regions.

Jiang Jianguo, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the forum.

Attendees discussed topics such as the role of Tibet in the Belt and Road cooperation, the opening-up and development of Tibet and the inheritance and development of Tibetan culture.

In China’s cooperation with South Asia, Tibet has unique geographical advantages to join the building of the Belt and Road. The region is also an important land passage for the country’s opening-up toward South Asia.

Relying on its geographical position, resources and policy advantages, Tibet will promote more solid progress in high-quality BRI development and the region’s sustainable development in the new era, said Qizhala, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region.