Jiangsu province empowers Lhasa through long-term support

Over the past three decades, Jiangsu province has been aiding the Xizang autonomous region capital, Lhasa, by promoting long-term stability, improving people's livelihood and assisting with high-quality development around the city.

Due to their paired assistance relationship, the two places are closely interdependent despite being more than 3,800 km apart. Since the province began assisting the city in 1994, Jiangsu has dispatched ten groups of nearly 1,000 professionals and invested over 8 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) in more than 700 projects, as reported by Xizang Daily.

Jiangsu's assistance has ramped up since 2012. During this period, the province has invested more than 5 billion yuan in aid funds, with over 80 percent directed to grassroots levels to ensure and improve people's livelihoods.

Industrial assistance to Xizang is the core focus of Jiangsu's aid work. It helps develop local industries in Lhasa to boost economic strength and foster mutual economic benefits.

In one example, the Gesang Tang Modern Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Industry Demonstration Park, located in Lhasa's Lhundrub county, was built thanks to an investment of 150 million yuan.

Traditional livestock management and operation methods meant breeding cycles were long, genetic resources degraded, and economic benefits were relatively low.

To improve the quality of local yaks, the demonstration park selected excellent yak breeds from across the country, repurchased the local crossbred yaks, and replaced them with newly bred calves.

"The cows bred in the demonstration park grow exceptionally large, have good health, and are less prone to illness, and the time for them to reach market weight has been reduced from the previous seven to eight years to around five years now," Kelsang Wangchuk, a farmer from the village, was quoted as saying by Xizang Daily. "Our income has also increased."

In the area of aiding public security, Jiangsu province has dispatched more than 1,400 cadres to support Xizang in various projects totaling over 169 million yuan in aid. They have also provided learning, training, and on-the-job training opportunities for over 2,200 police officers in Lhasa.

With Jiangsu's support, Lhasa has established several modern laboratories, including a criminal forensic science laboratory and electronic data laboratories.

According to the Jiangsu Public Security Department, in September 2023, the public security agencies of Jiangsu and Lhasa signed a framework agreement for mutual assistance. They provided comprehensive support to enhance the technological capabilities of the Lhasa public security system, which aimed to maintain security and stability.