President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to a forum on the development of Tibet that opened on Tuesday in Beijing.

"People's happiness is the ultimate human right, while development holds the key to delivering better lives to the people," Xi noted in the letter to "2023 Forum on the Development of Xizang, China."

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, people in Tibet, with the strong support of the central government and people throughout the country, have worked with fortitude and brought about a resolution to the problem of extreme poverty that had plagued the region for centuries, the letter said.

Tibet has achieved a moderately prosperous society in all respects along with the rest of the country, demonstrating vibrant and thriving scenes, it added.

Xi said he hopes that on the new journey of advancing Chinese modernization, Tibet can fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, step up efforts to promote high-quality development, and strive to build a prosperous, harmonious and beautiful new socialist Tibet underpinned by unity, civility and modernization so that the people of Tibet can enjoy better and more fulfilled lives.

The forum, themed "New Era, New Xizang, New Journey: New Chapter in Xizang's High-quality Development and Human Rights Protection," is hosted by the State Council Information Office and the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Xi's letter was read out by Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, at the opening ceremony.

Abdilahi Ismail Abdilahi, who teaches at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said he agrees with what Xi said in the letter about human rights.

"I've seen with my own eyes that human rights are well protected in Tibet, which is different from what I had read from Western media," he said.

Alexander Birle, chief representative of Hanns Seidel Stiftung in China, said that Xi's letter shows the importance of Tibet's development to China.

"There are different approaches to human rights protection. Cultural protection is also an important part of human rights protection, and China has done a lot to respect and protect the cultural heritage of Tibetan people," he said.

The high quality of education in Tibet also impressed Maria Gustava, Mozambique's ambassador to China, who recently visited the region for the first time.

"We visited some schools, especially for younger children, and they were learning so many things, including those through the internet and computer," she said, adding that such high-quality education will bring a better future for the region.

Before the forum, representatives of Chinese and foreign attendees were also invited to visit Tibet. 

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, reads out a congratulatory letter written by President Xi Jinping to "2023 Forum on the Development of Xizang, China", and attends the opening ceremony of the forum in Beijing, capital of China, May 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)