00:00Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a rare trip to Tibet, his first in four years,
00:05to mark six decades since Beijing consolidated control over the region.
00:11President Xi told crowds that loyalty to the Communist Party must come first,
00:16urging wider use of Mandarin and pressing Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to socialism.
00:22The trip also showcased Beijing's massive new hydropower project,
00:25billed as clean energy, but analysts warn it carries strategic risks for India,
00:30which depends heavily on downstream water supplies.
00:34Xi's visit highlighted another looming conflict, the future of Tibetan Buddhism.
00:39The Dalai Lama, now 90 and living in exile in India,
00:42rejects China's claim that Beijing must have a say in choosing his successor.
00:47That sets up what experts call a looming clash over religion and politics in the Himalayan region.
00:53Chinese state outlets defended Beijing's record, citing expanded health care,
00:57free education, and a doubled life expectancy.
01:00But analysts told The Wall Street Journal the timing reflects Xi's concerns about loyalty and stability
01:06along one of China's most sensitive borders.
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