Tibetan cultural exchange delegation visits Britain

A visiting Tibetan cultural exchange delegation on Saturday wrapped up their four-day visit in Britain, during which the delegates had a wide range of engagements with British officials, scholars and the public.

"We are the first Tibetan delegation to arrive in Britain in the wake of Chinese President Xi Jinping's successful state visit last week," said Wang Nengsheng, head of the delegation.

The delegates from Tibet held a wide variety of in-depth talks and discussions with British people from different walks of life, helping the latter better understand Tibet's development and progress in areas of economy, society, culture, religion, environment and ecology since the founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region 50 years ago, Wang said in a press briefing in London.

During their stay in Britain, the delegates met with Asia House CEO Michael Lawrence, the 48 Group Club's Deputy Chairman Keith Bennett, the Economist's China Editor James Miles, Chairman of the London Chinatown Chinese Association Chu Ting Tang, and representatives from British Chinese media organizations.

The delegates briefed the British people on current affairs in Tibet, including its economic development, social progress, religious and ethnic affairs, as well as its cultural and ecological preservation.

"The Chinese central government has long attached huge importance to the environmental and ecological preservation in Tibet, and through various support and protection programs, Tibetan people's livelihood has also greatly improved," said Pubu Danba, director of the Environmental Protection Office, Bureau of Environmental Protection of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Lobsang Norbu, another delegate, said the religious freedoms in Tibet have been very well respected and protected.

"In the past three decades, our country has put a lot of investment in renovating and preserving the religious venues in Tibet, which not only protects the interests of religious people, but also helps carry forward the fine traditional culture in Tibet," added Norbu, who is also deputy director of the Office of Religious Affairs of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The delegation also visited Tibetan expatriates living in Britain, and introduced to them the latest developments in Tibet.