Raidi, executive deputy secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), told reporters from Hong Kong Sunday that anti- separatism and the solidarity of the people are the premise of a prosperous Tibet.

    The official said that last year Tibet's gross domestic product (GDP) hit 11.74 billion yuan (about US$ 1.42 billion), up 10.7 percent year on year; grain output reached 962,000 tons, basically meeting the region's demand.

    He reiterated that since the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951, a great leap forward has been made in almost all aspects of the region.

    "I have been an eyewitness to all the historic changes in the past half century," said the official, who was a serf before 1951.

    Raidi said that the central government has decided to invest about 70 billion yuan (some US$ 8.5 billion) in Tibet in five years to promote development in Tibet. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

    Through 2005, farmers and herdsmen in Tibet will gain an average annual net income of over 2,000 yuan (about US$ 242) and most people in the region will be living a comfortable life, he said.

    The reporters were mainly from the Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Po and Ming Pao newspapers, Radio Television Hong Kong and other Hong Kong media.