Tibet, Xinjiang improve their human rights: white paper

China has made comprehensive progress in all human rights, including the rights of ethnic minority groups in Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region and Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, according to a white paper released by the State Council Information Office on Wednesday.

The white paper said that religious freedom for ethnic minority groups is fully guaranteed.

Tibet has 1,778 venues for practicing Tibetan Buddhism, and normal religious activities and beliefs are protected based on the law.

China issued the Measures on the Management of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibet now has 358 Living Buddhas, more than 60 of whom have been confirmed through historical conventions and traditional religious rituals, the white paper said.

Since 2011, the National Religious Affairs Administration has organized over a dozen training sessions on interpreting Islamic scripture, and trained several hundred clerics from Xinjiang.

The central government supports the Xinjiang Islamic Institute in expanding its campus, improving teaching conditions, and enrolling more students.

China has also been fulfilling its obligations in international instruments on human rights, signing 26 international human rights instruments to date, and has conducted extensive international exchanges and cooperation on human rights, establishing dialogue and negotiation mechanisms with more than 20 other countries, the white paper said.