China marks 60th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation

Tibet is an inseparable part of China and its fate has always been closely linked with that of this country, said top political advisor Jia Qinglin at a symposium marking the 60th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation on Monday.

On May 23, 1951, representatives of both the Chinese central government and the former local government of Tibet signed a "17-point agreement" in Beijing, marking the region's peaceful liberation, said Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

According to 17-point agreement, the Tibetan people should "unite and drive out imperialist aggressive forces from Tibet and return to the big family of the People's Republic of China."

The region's peaceful liberation paved the way for Tibet's theocratic feudal serfdom to be changed, emancipating more than 1 million slaves and greatly promoting all-round development in Tibet, said Jia.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-05/23/c_13889866.htm