Editor's note: Bai Fan, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate researcher at the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Over the past six decades since the establishment of the Xizang Autonomous Region, people of all ethnic groups in Xizang, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), have devoted themselves to socialist modernization and achieved historic progress.

Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the autonomous region has firmly implemented Chinese President Xi Jinping's important instructions on work related to Xizang and the CPC's guidelines for governing Xizang in the new era. It has continued to make solid efforts in the four major areas of maintaining stability, advancing development, protecting the environment, and strengthening border areas. Xizang has made continuous progress in economic and social development and taken solid steps toward building a modern socialist new Xizang.

Development is the key to solving various problems in border and ethnic minority areas. Xizang has continued to overcome the constraints of the plateau's natural conditions and strengthen the foundations of economic and social development. What Xizang has experienced is not simply continued economic expansion, but also a systematic transformation of its development foundations and capabilities.

Better connectivity brings prosperity to all sectors. Xizang has completed the Lhasa-Xigaze section of the G4218 Expressway and the Nagqu-Lhasa section of the G6 Expressway, creating a fully connected expressway network linking Lhasa with Xigaze, Shannan, Nyingchi and Nagqu. It has established a "five-city, three-hour" expressway travel network centered on Lhasa. In 2025, 6,595 kilometers of rural roads were newly built or upgraded, bringing the total length of rural roads to 94,400 kilometers.

Xizang has also developed an extensive air transport network. Over the past six decades, the number of air routes serving Xizang has increased from one to 193. Its road, rail, and air networks have shortened the physical distance between the plateau and markets across the country, driving rapid improvements in people's livelihoods and economic growth in Xizang.

Xizang has also made major progress in power grid projects and digital infrastructure. The backbone power grid across the plateau has steadily improved. Drawing on abundant hydropower, wind, solar and geothermal resources, Xizang has developed a "plateau model" for a new energy system. The "Electricity Sky Roads" now supply power to households both on and beyond the plateau.

As China accelerates its build-up of strength in the digital and cyberspace sectors, Xizang has expanded new infrastructure. Communications networks now reach widely from remote pastoral areas to busy towns, extending information connectivity deeper into the snow-covered plateau. The region has promoted the digital transformation of industries with plateau characteristics, expanded inclusive access to digital public services, and strengthened the ability of communications infrastructure to withstand natural disasters. Xizang's power and communications networks have reduced the basic costs of production and daily life, becoming important engines of high-quality development.

Xizang gives top priority to ecological conservation and balances conservation and development, aiming to build a national and international highland for ecological civilization. It has established 47 nature reserves of various types and carried out integrated conservation and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, deserts and glaciers. It has developed a green industrial system encompassing ecotourism, agriculture and animal husbandry with plateau characteristics, clean energy and cultural industries. These efforts protect the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau while delivering both economic growth and environmental protection.

Based on the realities of the plateau, Xizang has continued to address infrastructure weaknesses and strengthen its industrial foundations. The growth of clean energy, cultural tourism, green industry, and other sectors has created new employment opportunities and higher incomes, substantially enhancing the region's capacity for sustainable economic and social development.

Guided by a people-centered development philosophy, Xizang has continued to improve its industrial structure and foster internal drivers of growth. Agriculture and animal husbandry with local characteristics, clean energy, cultural tourism and green mining have been developed into pillar industries supporting high-quality economic and social development.

Supported by improved transport and digital infrastructure, Xizang has steadily upgraded infrastructure at its ports of entry. Border trade logistics and cross-border exchanges have grown steadily, while the region's capacity to open up to the world and strengthen domestic connectivity has continued to improve. In 2025, Xizang's gross regional product exceeded 300 billion yuan ($43 billion).

To live a happy life is the greatest human right. Industrial development in Xizang has continued to expand employment and create more opportunities for income growth. The region has further developed industries that benefit local people, including construction and building materials, Xizang medicine, plateau-based light industry, and border trade and logistics, opening a new path to strengthen border areas and bring prosperity to local residents through industrial development.

In 2025, Xizang residents' per capita disposable income reached 33,600 yuan, up 7.2% year on year. The figure for urban residents stood at 58,794 yuan, up 6.0%, while that for rural residents reached 23,184 yuan, up 7.4%. People of all ethnic groups in Xizang have achieved steady income growth through industrial development and employment, and their ability to improve their lives through their own efforts has continued to grow.

In addition, Xizang has made significant progress in education, housing security, public health and social security. The great traditional cultures of all ethnic groups in Xizang have been protected, passed down, and developed. Through development, Xizang has comprehensively strengthened the protection of the economic and social rights of people of all ethnic groups and continued to build a common spiritual home for the Chinese nation.

Under the guidance of the CPC's strategy for governing Xizang in the new era, the region has continued to consolidate its development foundations and significantly strengthen its internal capacity for growth. Xizang's modernization has not only fundamentally transformed its once poor and underdeveloped conditions and fully protected the rights and interests of people of all ethnic groups, but has also reshaped the development landscape of the snow-covered plateau.

From addressing infrastructure weaknesses to building a more stable and sustainable capacity for development, Xizang is certain to enjoy an even brighter future, and the people of Xizang are certain to lead happier and better lives.

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