Tibet's anti-poverty achievements lauded at high-profile forum

BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The achievements of poverty alleviation in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have been praised at a forum held on Tuesday in Beijing.

"I have devoted my life to contributing to and telling the story of China's poverty alleviation, traveling through every province, and understand well that the achievements in Tibet are among the hardest won," Erik Robert Nilsson, an American journalist of China Daily, said at "2023 Forum on the Development of Xizang, China."

Nilsson went to Tibet three times since 2016, and is the writer of the book "Closer to Heaven: A Global Nomad's Journey Through China's Poverty Alleviation."

The event, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region, brought together more than 150 officials, experts, and representatives of enterprises and media organizations from home and abroad.

Prior to the forum, they were also invited to tour Lhasa and Nyingchi in Tibet, visiting places including villages, schools and communities.

Describing the achievements in Tibet as a feat that "almost nobody in the world could achieve in only a few decades of time," Guibe Guillaume, a French employee of China Petroleum &Chemical Corporation, said he is impressed by the quality infrastructures during his first trip in the region.

"At 5,200 meters high, I could get my emails and chat on my mobile," Guillaume said, adding that roads are modern, safe, and comfortable to drive on and speed radars were even installed at the entrance of villages to protect people and domestic animals.

Maria Gustava, Mozambique's ambassador to China, said that the practical experience of China in poverty alleviation and rural development in Tibet proved that effective and holistic planning is needed to realize poverty reduction.

China's success in alleviating rural poverty through leveraging technology-led farming methods constitutes a source of inspiration and valuable guidance for developing countries like Mozambique in their efforts to fight against poverty and promote sustainable development, Gustava said.

Tibet had shaken off absolute poverty by the end of 2019. The regional GDP reached 213.3 billion yuan (about 30.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022, representing a giant leap from the 1959 figure of a mere 174 million yuan, according to official data.