Five central authorities sent a joint message to the leadership of the Tibet Autonomous Region on Thursday, to mark the 40th founding anniversary of this southwest China autonomous region.

These central bodies are the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC),and the Central Military Commission (CMC).

In the message, the central authorities asked the local authorities to convey their warm congratulation and comfort to people of different circles and armed forces and the police in Tibet.

It recalls the economic and social progress in Tibet over the past four decades and attributes it to the Party leadership, socialist road with China's own characteristics, and the system of ethnic regional autonomy.

In related developments, a collection of instructions on Tibet by Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao went off the press Thursday.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2005)