It seems remarkable that a leader of #China has not visited the Tibetan Autonomous Region since Jiang Zemin in 1990. As an indication of how sensitive Xi Jinping's visit has been, state media didn't even report his arrival on Wednesday until today!
In highly-orchestrated scenes, Xi Jinping has been welcomed by ethnic Tibetans in traditional dress. #China 
Chinese and Indian soldiers have been involved in deadly clashes in the Tibetan border region in recent years. As an indication of the area’s strategic importance, Xi Jinping was accompanied by senior PLA General Zhang Youxia. #China #Tibet
Xi Jinping travelled on a portion of the high-altitude train line and went to the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Seeing him at the traditional home of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will anger some Tibetans.
Last night #China’s flagship 7pm TV news bulletin - in the middle of a major flooding emergency in #Henan - led the bulletin with a 29 minute report on Xi Jinping’s trip to #Tibet. It showed Xi meeting monks and visiting places said to show economic development for Tibetans.
In the Communist Party’s highly-controlled media here the only view of the government’s performance in #Tibet is a positive one. The extended bulletin finally got to a report on the floods at around the 40-minute mark.
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