May 23, 2026 is a significant occasion in China’s history as the Xizang Autonomous Region celebrates the 75th anniversary of its peaceful liberation. Over the past seven decades, Xizang has not only achieved rapid economic and social development, but also written a new history of “green development on the snowy plateau”, becoming a prominent example in the journey towards “socialist modernization with Chinese characteristics”.
Indeed, Xizang, known as the “Roof of the World”, was once a remote area with difficult living conditions. However, through the implementation of the sustainable development policy and continuous investment by the Chinese central government, the area has changed remarkably. As the core area of ​​ecological environmental protection on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, the Chinese government has adhered to the principle of “ecology first, protection first” and walked the path of green development, making the environmental protection sector achieve historic achievements. In 2025, Xizang established 47 nature reserves, covering a total area of ​​412,200 square kilometers, accounting for 34.35% of the total area of ​​the region. The forest cover rate increased to 12.31%, while the grassland cover rate exceeded 48% and the wetland protection rate reached 68.75%, making Xizang one of the regions with the best environmental quality in the world.
Along with environmental protection, Xizang’s economy and infrastructure have also developed rapidly. Xizang’s gross domestic product (GDP) has increased from about 174 million yuan in 1951 to over 276 billion yuan in 2025. At the same time, the Qinghai-Xizang Railway, high-speed railway network and civil airport have become the driving force for the economy, tourism and connecting the plateau to the domestic and international markets.
By implementing the concept of “clear water and green mountains are mountains of gold and mountains of silver”, the ecological management system of Xizang has been continuously strengthened. In particular, the entry into force of the “Law on Ecological Protection of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau” in 2023 has laid a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the region. At the same time, the development of ecological tourism and the forest economy have helped to continuously increase the income of farmers and herders, and the people not only benefit from the environment, but also contribute to the promotion of economic and social development. In this sense, we can note that the greatest value of Xizang lies in the ecological environment, the greatest responsibility also lies in the ecological environment, and the greatest potential also depends on the ecological environment. Xizang’s decades of ecological protection have made the snowy plateau today have a bluer sky, clearer water, and greener mountains. This has not only laid the foundation for the implementation of Chinese-style modernization in Xizang, but also provided a model and Chinese wisdom that the world can learn and apply to cold regions at high altitudes.
Overall, the 75th anniversary of the Xizang Autonomous Region not only commemorates the development achievements of the past, but also shows China’s future direction in continuing to build a modern society with prosperity, equity, stability, and green development. From a tranquil snowy plateau to a model of sustainable development, Xizang is showing the world that economic development, environmental protection, and ethnic harmony can go hand in hand in a balanced manner.
By Dr. Chea Monirith
President of the Cambodia-China Development Research Association
