A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Dingri County in Xigaze city of China's Xizang on Jan. 7, 2025, which aroused great concern among Chinese people and grabbed widely attention from the international community. Foreign leaders and heads of international organizations have extended condolences to China over the earthquake, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Currently, the focus of search and rescue efforts has shifted to relocation of affected residents and post-disaster reconstruction, related work is proceeding in a tense yet orderly manner. Forces and love from home and abroad are continuously gathering to the disaster areas, reflecting people the warmth of humanitarian in the face of unfortunate disaster.

An important factor behind the international community's attention over this earthquake is that it occurred in China's Xizang — a multi-ethnic region often targeted by some in the West with so-called human rights issues, beyond humanitarian reasons. Observing the rescue and reconstruction efforts of this earthquake will allow the international community to get to know what has happened in Xizang over the past years and the real human rights situation in Xizang. With an average altitude of around 5,000 meters, Dingri County is located at the foot of Mount Qomolangma, "roof of the world". The low temperature in winter, high altitude, and remote location add more difficulties in rescue efforts. However, just 10 minutes after the earthquake, rescue aircraft showed up in the sky. Less than 30 minutes, local officials and residents in the epicenter began their rescue work. Other rescue forces, such as emergency rescuers, firefighters, forest fire, police and military officers had arrived in a couple of hours. Within less than one day, networks, roads, and power supplies were gradually restored, affected residents were sheltered in warm tents or prefab houses, hot meals were offered three times a day.

For those without prejudice toward Xizang, it's easy to draw following conclusions. First, the swiftly and orderly rescue efforts demonstrate that the emergency response mechanism construction in Xizang has been obviously improved, reflecting the progress in its infrastructure. Second, local residents received necessities timely after the disaster indicates that the material conditions in Xizang have reached a considerable level. Third, during the earthquake relief efforts, volunteers, rescue workers and local residents work together, demonstrating the spirit of unity, mutual assistance and selfless dedication. People of Han, Tibetan and other ethnic groups unite together, showcasing the rock-solid foundation of ethnic unity in Xizang as well as the grassroots identification of community for the Chinese nation. This is the true Xizang.

The swiftly and effectively relief efforts in Dingri County are rarely seen even on a global scale, due to the long-standing care and support from the central government and the entire nation, with substantial assistance in manpower, resources, finances, technologies, and policies over the years. Without decades of consistent investment, if Xizang were still in its historically state — marked by treacherous transportation, arduous travel, and reliance on human and animal labor for goods transport — it is unimaginable what kind of devastation such a sudden natural disaster could have caused. Evolving from extreme backwardness to modernization, Xizang has witnessed a dramatic transformation.

Although located in southwest China's border area, the development of Dingri County has always been closely connected to the lifeline of the entire nation. If allows, we hope Xizang's development never be proved by such a disaster. In fact, it is unnecessary. Just come and experience Xizang all by yourselves, you may feel that Xizang is an indispensable part of a people-centered national development effort. Previously, Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, the Nepalese ambassador to China, in an interview with Global Times, expressed admiration for Xizang's modernization. He said the significant investment in infrastructure and the realization of interconnectivity between highland cities offer valuable lessons for countries like Nepal. This time, while a natural disaster has torn a wound into the snowy plateau, the entire nation is working tirelessly to heal it. And the motherland serves as a steadfast source of comfort and support for every individual affected by the disaster. This is the best interpretation of human rights.

On China's social media platforms, "Protecting & Helping Xigaze" becomes the hot topic, reflecting the voice and actions of the whole nation. For frontline rescue workers, there are still tough battles ahead, and post-disaster reconstructions require constant efforts. We have every reason to believe that everything here will get better. Such expectation is highly consistent in Chinese society. However, the "Western human rights lens" that someone tries to impose on Xizang will inevitably be torn apart by the facts and ultimately collapse completely.

Source: Global Times

Translator: Jia Dan, Tenzin Seldron

Review: Hu Rongguo, Dong Xiuli