THIS year is a special one both in South Africa and in China.
Contrary to what happened across the globe three decades ago with the decimation of the communist parties, the South African Communist Party and Communist Party of China both celebrate their centenary this year.
Yet this year, Tibet also celebrates the 70th anniversary of its freedom. On May 23, 1951, the local government of Tibet signed an agreement with the central government of China leading to the autonomous status being declared by 1965 in Tibet.
Despite this autonomy and often being in the news for controversial reasons, the people of Tibet have reason to celebrate today because of the vast development that has occurred in the last seven decades.
Besides endless stories of the people of Tibet benefiting from the transformation of the agricultural sector and land reform, the central government is also said to have introduced numerous policies on tax, finance, infrastructure, industrial development, education, health, cultural preservation and environmental protection.
These policies have paid off for the Chinese people living in the autonomous region. In 1951, Tibet registered a regional GDP of 129 million Chinese yuan while in 2020 it exceeded 190 billion Chinese yuan.
This is an offshoot of the reported 1.63 trillion yuan (R3.26 trillion) the central government has accumulatively invested over the last 70 years in Tibet.
Infrastructure development has included over 118 000km of highways being built in the region with over 81bn yuan (R162bn) being ploughed into improving the region’s environment.
Life expectancy in Tibet has increased from an average of 35 years in 1951 to over 71 years in 2019. Unlike some parts of China which only shook off poverty at the end of 2020, Tibet was able to eradicate poverty a year earlier.
However, Nelson Mandela said the best way to beat poverty is through education. In 1951, 95% of Tibetans were illiterate.
In the last seven decades, China’s central government spent 224bn yuan (R448bn) on Tibet’s education; students under 15 years enjoying publicly funded education in the region.
The region has over 3000 schools of various types with nearly 800000 students registered at these educational facilities.
In 1951, Tibet had only 100 hospital beds in three institutions, today it has over 17000 beds in 1642 medical institutions.
Yet much investment has also gone into the preservation of the environment of Tibet. Today Tibet has 11 national reserves, four scenic sites, three geological parks, nine national forest parks and 22 national wetlands.
Many of us know Tibet for its rich culture and language. Today, Tibet Autonomous Region has 16 periodicals and 12 newspapers in the Tibetan language.
Over 4000 cultural relics sites have been established and preserved whereas nearly half of these enjoy protection of governments at various levels.
State records show that between 1989 and 1995, 200million Chinese yuan was spent on Potala Palace alone and expanding its square. At the end of 2018, a further RMB300 million was identified for a 10-year project in protecting and utilising cultural relics in Potala Palace.
With all these facts, there should be little doubt that the work and efforts of the people of Tibet and the central government of China have benefited the autonomous region significantly.
The last seven decades have proved the success of the “to Regional Ethnic Autonomy” policy and the lessons it teaches to other countries, and even continents, in ensuring unity among its people but more importantly unity in purpose
* Seale has a PhD in international relations