China winning fight against Tibet separatism, says top official

A leading official in the pro-Chinese Tibetan government said in a New Year message that ethnic unity had been strengthened and tangible achievements had been made in the fight against separatism.

The remarks of the official, Yang Chuangtang, deputy secretary of the regional Communist Party committee and executive vice-chairman of the Tibetan government, were quoted by Chinese regional radio from Tibet.

"We correctly handled the relationship between reform, development, and stability," the official said.

"New strides were taken in the construction of socialist spiritual civilization, as well as in democracy and the legal system.

The party's policy on nationality and religion were implemented correctly and comprehensively." "Ethnic unity was further strengthened.

Tangible achievements were made in the struggle against separatism.

The situation in various localities was further stabilized," Yang said.

"All Communist Party members in Tibet should fully recognize the important historic mission on their shoulders; and should take the lead and play a more active role in the great practice of reform and opening up, development at an accelerating pace, and the safeguarding of stability, by leading the 2.4 million people of all ethnic groups in Tibet to rally more closely around the party Central Committee with Comrade Jiang Zemin as the core."

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.