Tibetan delegation visits European Parliament

BRUSSELS — A Tibetan delegation of the National People’s Congress, or NPC, China’s top legislature, visited the European Parliament from Sunday to Tuesday.

The delegation, led by Nyima Cering, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People’s Congress, met with some members of the European Parliament and exchanged ideas with scholars from local think tanks.

Nyima Cering introduced the successful practice of the Chinese central government’s principles and policies toward Tibet, the NPC system and the successful practice of the regional ethnic autonomy system in Tibet.

With the full support of the central government and of the people of the whole country, as well as the hard work of the people of all ethnic groups in Tibet, it took the autonomous region only a few decades to move from backwardness to progress, from poverty to prosperity and from closure to opening, he said.

It is also within these few decades that the social system in Tibet achieved a historic leap, and the society underwent tremendous changes, he said.

Incorporating his own experience, Nyima Cering introduced the facts of Tibet’s politics, economy, language and cultural inheritance, and environmental protection.

Emphasizing that the Tibet-related issues involve China’s core interests, he said it is hoped that Europe will earnestly respect China’s core interests and major concerns, carefully handle Tibetrelated issues in a prudent manner, and jointly safeguard the healthy and stable development of China-European relations.

The Europeans appreciate the achievements of Tibet and have expressed a willingness to further promote exchanges and cooperation between the European Parliament and the NPC.