Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Wednesday ordered officials of the Tibet Autonomous Region to place Tibet's development and stability as their focus of work.

He made the remarks when he was briefed on the work of the regional committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the regional government.

The vice president is heading a Central Government delegation to attend celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet.

Xi praised the local authorities' work in the past and said the officials in Tibet "are very capable and very trust-worthy."

The Central Government on Wednesday revealed a plan to invest 138.4 billion yuan ($21.38 billion) in the next five years to finance 226 major projects in Tibet, which range from infrastructure, public services, and environmental protection.

Xi urged the officials to seize the opportunity and push for the development of infrastructure, advantage industries, social welfare, and the improvement of the living conditions of farmers and herders in the coming five years.

The vice president also stressed the need to improve the governing of the ethnic and religious affairs, to boost social management and ethnic unity, to carry on the fight against the separatist activities of the Dalai Lama group, in order to achieve long-term stability in Tibet.

(Xinhua News Agency July 20, 2011)