DUSHANBE, 06.10.2023 (NIAT Khovar) – Nearly 30 journalists from 22 countries concluded a five-day trip to southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region on Saturday, during which they interviewed local residents and officials, and witnessed the region’s robust development and diverse culture.

The trip, which started on Tuesday, took the journalists to various places in the regional capital of Lhasa and the city of Nyingchi. They also attended an international cooperation forum from Wednesday to Friday.

«One thing that I’m impressed with here is how you preserve history by keeping every single detail of your history for the future generation,» said Marie-Noelle Waiane Kaltack from the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation, after completing a tour of the Cultural Heritage Museum for Southeast Tibet in Nyingchi.

The museum has preserved several thousand items showcasing cultural relics, ethnic costumes, hunting and farming culture, traditional Tibetan medicine, living customs, folk songs and dances, language and literature, handicrafts, sports competitions, festivals, religious beliefs and architectural arts.

«Not only Tibet’s ecology is good, but the whole of China has done very well in environmental protection, and has made great efforts. Through this trip to Tibet, I deeply felt the harmony between man and nature,» said Tofik Mamedov from the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Television, Radio Broadcasting and Cinematography, when attending the Third China Xizang Trans-Himalaya Forum for International Cooperation.

Around the theme of «promoting the harmony of humans and nature, sharing the fruits of cooperation and development,» representatives of more than 40 countries, regions and international organizations had an in-depth exchange of views on eco-environmental, development cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, and reached broad consensus.

Upon learning that Tibet has achieved overall carbon neutrality, Ueretan Bauro, editor of Uekera newspaper in the Republic of Kiribati, said: «We are very happy as people from the lowest country in the world. We thank people here and of course the whole of China. We want to tell the world, especially those who produce too much greenhouse gas, to please lower their carbon release.»

After the forum, the journalists took the high-speed train from Nyingchi to Lhasa, and visited Tibet Museum, Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple.

«In Tibet, residents wear their own ethnic costumes, and almost all shops and signboards have the Tibetan language. Traditional culture is being inherited well,» said Birat Gautam from Nepalpress.

«The Chinese government is spending a lot of money on development and social infrastructure here. People lead a very modern life,» said Ali Abbas, a senior reporter with Pakistan’s City News Network.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and many journalists kept mentioning the BRI during their conversations with local residents.

«For me, BRI is not just about construction. It is also connecting people, connecting culture,» Ali Abbas said.

«Most of the Latin American countries are part of the BRI. Chile was actually among the first batch of countries to have entered,» said Maria Sanhueza from the Chilean newspaper El Ciudadano.

«I think that the whole world is shifting towards another type of order. Call it multilateral,» Sanhueza added.