Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter to the 2019 Forum on the Development of Tibet, which opened Friday in the regional capital Lhasa.

In the letter, Xi highlighted that Tibet has witnessed enormous progress since a democratic reform was carried out in 1959.

He called for participants to make suggestions on Tibet's development in all aspects.

Tibet, located in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, is an important ecological security barrier, an important cultural protection area with Chinese ethnic characteristics, and an important tourist destination in the world, Xi noted.

The president said he hopes that Tibet will seize development opportunities, flourish traditional culture, and protect the plateau's ecological environment. 

Tibet should further promote the opening-up policy and expand exchanges and cooperation with the outside world, painting a new picture of Tibet's development in the new era. 

At the forum, Jiang Jianguo, deputy head of the Publicity Department of CPC Central Committee, highlighted the crucial role played by the Belt and Road Initiative in boosting regional prosperity.

Nearly 160 representatives from 37 countries and regions have gathered to take part in the event. The forum is themed with the Belt and Road Initiative, and Tibet's Opening-up and Development.

Most of the participants are researchers, officials and media professionals. They have just concluded a four-day field trip into local villages, schools as well as cultural centers across Nyingchi and Lhasa.

Group discussions are scheduled in the afternoon on Tibet's connection with the Silk Road as well as its opening-up policies. The forum has been held three times in Lhasa, with the previous two editions being convened in 2014 and 2016 respectively. Before that, three similar forums were held outside China biennially, from 2007 to 2011.