This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region. In June, the central government has paid closer attention to Tibet, so that there is even more anticipation that the Sixth Conference on the Work of Tibet will convene this year. As such, people are expecting even more benefits for Tibet.

When Xi Jinping met with the Panchen Lama on June 10, he said that the CPC Central Committee would send a delegation to Tibet to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region. He believes that by 2020 Tibet will be able to realize the national goal of becoming a moderately prosperous society.

Sun Chunlan, member of the Political Buruea of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of the CPC United Front Work Department, visited Tibet from June 15 to 18 to conduct inspections.

The Investigation and Research Group of the State Council also came to Tibet from June 10 to 17. They conducted comprehensive investigations on maintaining stability, economic and social development, focusing on areas of reform, improvements to livelihoods, building infrastructure, developing characteristic economy, protecting the natural environment, constructing basic level political power, and other situations in the five prefectures (municipalities) of Lhasa, Nyingchi, Lhoka, Shigatse, and Nagqu, and 16 counties (districts).

The attention from the central government encourages those of all walks of life in Tibet. This attention also indicates that there will be a big event for Tibet work this year. Some analysts believe that the central government will formulate a series of special, preferential policies and supportive measures this year in order to accelerate Tibet’s development.

Looking at the previous five Tibet work conferences, it is not hard to see that the current anticipation is reasonable.

The First Tibet Work Conference was convened in March 1980. The central government increased aid to Tibet and formulated several preferential policies in accordance with the reality of the situation in Tibet and the national economy.

Economic policies were further relaxed during the Second Tibet Work Conference in March 1984. Nine provincial, municipal, and national authorities, in accordance with needs issued by Tibet, assisted Tibet in constructing 43 small and mid-sized projects, marking the beginning of nationwide aid to Tibet.

The Third Tibet Work Conference convened in July 1994. Meetings centered on Tibet’s development and stability, the continuation of implementing special policies and flexible measures, and the implementation of 62 national aid projects with a total investment of 2.38 billion yuan for construction projects. As a result, aid for Tibet entered a new phase of “divide responsibility and pairing assistance on a regular rotation”.

The Fourth Tibet Work Conference convened in June 2001. The conference clarified how to accelerate Tibet’s economic development, how to further increase investment funds for construction in Tibet, and how to increase efforts to aid Tibet.

The Fifth Tibet Work Conference in January 2010 issued the strategic deployment of promoting the achievement of leapfrog development and lasting political stability in Tibet. It also promoted an increased comprehensive effort towards economic and social development in other Tibetan-inhabited areas in Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, and Qinghai provinces, and emphasized that by 2020 Tibet and other Tibetan-inhabited areas would be able to achieve a moderately prosperous society.

The central government has continued to make big investments in Tibet for 35 years. The Tibet Work Conferences have all officially launched special preferential policies in accordance with the reality of Tibet each time they convene. Therefore, people are anticipating when the Sixth Conference on the Work of Tibet will open and what kind of preferential policies will be put forward at this conference.