Grand ceremony and parade mark 60 years of Chinese Communist Party rule in Tibet - China has marked 60 years of Communist Party rule in Tibet with a parade and speeches in front of the Potala Palace

The latest news on China. Tibet has marked a major milestone as an autonomous region under Chinese administration with colorful celebrations in Lhasa, where crowds waved small red flags and attended performances highlighting regional culture.

The Chinese leader also urged the region to develop agriculture and clean energy with promotion of the integration of cultural and tourism industries.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made a rare trip to Tibet and hailed the crushing of “separatism” in the once-restive region, as Beijing prepares for a looming struggle over the successor of the aging and exiled Dalai Lama and the hearts and minds of millions of Tibetans.

China’s top political adviser has stressed the Communist Party’s “strong leadership” in a speech reviewing decades of achievements to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Tibet autonomous region.

A power struggle is taking shape over choosing a successor to the 90-year-old Buddhist leader. In a trip to Tibet’s capital, China’s leader emphasized maintaining Beijing’s control.

Both autonomous regions are large, have unique demographics, and harsh terrain and climatic conditions that make the construction of infrastructure projects challenging. Increasing access, however, has been an important Chinese policy goal of late.