People's Daily publishes a commentary Thursday to mark the 50th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The paper expresses greetings to ethnic people in Tibet on the special day and conveys thanks to officials and people who contribute to the development and stability of the region.

Fifty years ago, the central government of New China and the local government of Tibet signed the agreement on the peaceful liberation of Tibet. The 50-year history since the peaceful liberation proves that without the Communist Party of China (CPC) and support of people across the country, there would be no new Tibet like there is today.

The commentary says that the agreement marked a turning point for Tibet, enabling it to break away from the control of imperialism and consolidating the nation's unification.

Following the peaceful liberation, people in Tibet insist on socialism under the leadership of the CPC. They have made full efforts to carry out reform, opening up and modernization construction.

Great achievements have been reached in politics, economy and culture over the period, during which people from all ethnic groups in Tibet have totally changed their life from isolation to opening up, from darkness to brightness, from under-development to progress and from poverty to wealth, the article says.

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council held a national meeting in June to discuss the development of Tibet.

The meeting, the fourth of its kind in history, urged to pay attention to two major issues of Tibet -- economic development and social stability.

The meeting called for related departments and officials to carry out the CPC's policies on religion, to further support Tibet 's development while at the same time smashing separatists activities.

Under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, with Jiang Zemin at the core, guidelines and policies on the new-period development of Tibet will be constantly carried out to lead the region to a more prosperous future.

(People's Daily 07/19/2001)