Don't be bewitched by Dalai Lama: Tibetan official

This year marks the 60th anniversary of failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule

BEIJING: Tibetan officials on Wednesday defended China's policies in the southwestern region and called on the international community not to be "bewitched" by the exiled Dalai Lama or his "rumours" about the human rights situation there.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule that forced the region's spiritual leader into permanent exile in India.

In a white paper published on Wednesday, the Chinese government said "economic and cultural ties between people in Tibet and those in the rest of China have become closer, with an increasing number of mixed communities and a closer emotional bond".

It also said Tibet's regional economy was among the fastest growing in the country, and that the central government has poured about 1.4 billion yuan ($210 million) into restoring Tibetan cultural relics and refurbishing key monasteries.

China's investment in the region includes a huge outlay on security to build a surveillance state that makes it harder to organise protests.

The Dalai Lama gave up his political role in 2011 but remains based in Dharamsala.