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.

Xi Jinping has called for unity during a rare visit to Tibet, where thousands marked the region’s 60 years as an autonomous Chinese state with songs, dances, a parade – and placards heaping praise on the Communist Party.

President Xi Jinping urged unity on a surprise visit to Tibet, appearing before 20,000 people to mark 60 years since China created the autonomous region after annexing it. In what is only his second presidential visit to the tightly-controlled region,