President Hu Jintao said Monday that to maintain a
harmonious and stable society is a prerequisite for the development
of Tibet and the well-being of all ethnic groups living there.
Emphasis should be laid on improving the living and working
conditions of farmers and herdsmen, so that they can share the
achievements of China's reform and development, said Hu while
joining a panel discussion of Tibetan legislators at the ongoing
annual session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC),
China's top legislature.
The work concerning ethnic groups and religions must be done
well, said Hu, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party
of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central
Military Commission.
"Development is the basis and key to tackle all the problems in
Tibet," he said.
Hu said the Qinghai-Tibet railway that opened to traffic
last July provides a historic opportunity for the development of
Tibet." Such an opportunity must be seized well and made full use
of," he said.
The Tibetan lawmakers were discussing the government work report
delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao at the opening of the NPC annual
session Monday morning.
The president gave his consent to the report and spoke highly of
the achievements in Tibet's economic and social development in
2006.
(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2007)
