Tibet sustains rapid socioeconomic development: white paper

BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has witnessed sustained and rapid socioeconomic development since its peaceful liberation in 1951, according to a white paper issued on Friday.

The region's GDP surpassed 190 billion yuan (about 29.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020, up from 129 million yuan in 1951, said the white paper titled "Tibet Since 1951: Liberation, Development and Prosperity," issued by China's State Council Information Office.

The region's retail sales of consumer goods reached 74.6 billion yuan in 2020, more than 2,000 times larger than in 1959, it said.