China will not change its policies on Tibet, says expert

A Tibetan professor has said that China will not change its policies on Tibet, and added that Beijing will provide 170 billion yuan to Tibet during the period of the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) to improve social life and infrastructure there.

Sydney, July 25 : A Tibetan professor has said that China will not change its policies on Tibet, and added that Beijing will provide 170 billion yuan to Tibet during the period of the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) to improve social life and infrastructure there.

According to Professor Sherap Nyima, the head of the Chinese Tibetan delegation, which is now on a visit in Australia, Tibet has undertaken great changes in the past few decades, and added that the average annual income of the Tibetans increased to around 10,000 yuan in 2007 from 241 yuanin 1965 and the average life expectancy almost doubled in the pastfive decades.

Professor Nyima was addressing a Tibetology seminar at the New South Wales Parliament House.The seminar was attended by NSW members of parliament, representatives from the Chinese community in Sydney and local media.

Nyima also refuted criticisms that the Chinese government tried to change the demographic composition of Tibet by sending a large number of Han Chinese into the region. The real situation is totally different, he said.

"There are 2.8 million people in Tibet, of which Han Chinese only account for five percent and the Tibetans 92 percent. Moreover, Tibet is part of China and why the Hans are not allowed to come and help Tibetans build a better Tibet?" the professor asked.

Nyima said many people outside China know little about Tibet because they have never visited the place and are misled by Dalai Lama and a few foreign media with ulterior motives.

Professor Tseyang Changngo, a member of the delegation and Vice President of the Tibet University in Lhasa, also said the Chinese government has spent lots of money and exerted great efforts in cultural protection in the region.

The seminar was organized by the Australian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China. The Tibetan delegation arrived here on Wednesday and will visit Canberra and Melbourne before leaving for New Zealand, reports the official Xinhua news agency.

ANI