In China’s broader efforts to manufacture loyalty to the Chinese nation, various cultural assimilation strategies continue to be implemented in Tibetan inhabited areas to meet this political goal. Manufacturing loyalty through “patriotic education” by stationing veterans in schools is the most recent development in Tibet.

China has launched a pilot project by stationing 13 veterans in 7 schools in Sernyi (Ch: Seni) District, Nagchu (Naqu) City, where the schools expose children to the structured lifestyle of military personnel, reported Chinese state media Tibet Daily on March 19. Overall, the project aims to drive the Tibetan children’s loyalty to the Chinese nation by introducing military discipline into civilian life. The veterans serve as “resident instructors” in schools to integrate military discipline into the student’s daily routines to “foster a sense of pride, order, and national identity” as part of China’s educational reforms in Tibet.

Key elements of the project include weekly flag-raising ceremony with instructions from the resident veterans to instill a sense of honor and pride to the Chinese flag, exposing the children to resident veterans in camouflage giving national defense education and sharing their personal experiences, singing “patriotic” songs before meals to promote loyalty, giving organizing skills through military style and discipline.

The 2025 budget of the United Front Work Department of the CCP Lhasa Municipal Committee has been disclosed as 31.4028 million yuan (approximately 4.3 million USD). This represents an increase of 14.3105 million yuan compared to the 2024 budget. The rise in budget is attributed to the merging of the former United Front Work Department of the Municipal Party Committee with the former Municipal Religious Affairs Administration. As a result of this merger, staff from the former Municipal Religious Affairs Administration were transferred to the United Front Work Department of the Municipal Party Committee.

On March 2, the 2024 National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Outstanding Performance Award Ceremony was held in Beijing to recognize exemplary contributions by CPPCC members. Wang Huning, Chairman of the CPPCC and member of the standing committee of CCP Politburo presented the award to 33 members for their work in advancing Chinese-style modernization and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, according to Chinese state media.

Amongst the awardees, 71-year-old Drupkhang Thubten Khedrup is the lone ethnic Tibetan out of the 33 awardees. Although Drupkhang underwent imprisonment by the Chinese authorities for some years, he has become one of the most trusted Tibetan allies of the CCP since his release in 1979 moving up through the ranks of China’s party-state system while the monks of his former monastery, Shapten Monastery, face continued CCP’s persecution.

Wu Yingje, the former Chinese Communist Party’s top leader in Tibet, pleaded guilty to bribery charges against him during a trial in Beijing, Chinese state media reported on March 20.

Wu had accepted bribes over 343 million yuan ($47.37 million) between June 2006 and February 2021. The bribery charge levelled against accounted for close to fifteen years out of an almost four-and-a-half-decade career in Tibet during which he held various positions including being top Chinese leader in Tibet between 2016-2021.

The 68-year-old, a native of Shandong, began his career in 1974. When investigations against him began in June 2024, Wu was a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of China’s Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Despite Xi Jinping’s “anti-corruption” campaign to crackdown on “tigers and flies” since the 18th Party Congress in 2012, not much progress has been made in tackling the endemic socio-political problem in Tibet. Until the Chinese government and the CCP addresses the structural problems due to lack of transparency, rule of law, independent judiciary and freedom of the press, the root causes of corruption in Tibet is expected to continue despite “tigers” being caught in the anti-corruption “campaign”.

The Regulations on the Management of Public Security Video Image Information Systems, promulgated by the State Council (order no 799) takes effect on April 1, 2025. These regulations, comprising 34 articles, represent China’s first systematic framework specifically governing public security video surveillance systems. While the regulations aim to balance public safety with privacy protection, the problematic Article 31 might be used by the authorities to strike against dissidents and activists who might seek to disseminate video evidence of violations of rights or power abuse by the authorities.

The Department of Culture and Tourism of the Tibet Autonomous Region held a meeting on strict governance of the Party in 2025, the implementation of the work plan and to analyze the outstanding problems that exists, reported Chinese state media on March 24.

The meeting highlighted 2025 as a pivotal year for concluding the “14th Five-Year Plan” and initiating the “15th Five-Year Plan,” and also as the “60th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region”. Party organizations and members were instructed to embrace CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping’s vision of self-revolution within the Party, focusing on strict governance, and fostering political and ecological integrity. This approach is intended to support the party’s major initiatives like the “four major events,” “four creations,” and “nine major projects” to promote tourism per the “high-quality development” policy unveiled at the 20th Party Congress. The meeting emphasized strengthening political supervision, enhancing discipline education, and improving implementation strategies. Leaders were tasked with raising political awareness and ensuring organizational leadership achieves results in governance and development, to mark the “60th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region”.

In response to the Dalai Lama’s new book “Voice of the Voiceless” stating that his successor will be born outside of China and that Tibetan freedom movement will continue even after his death, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, on March 11, reiterated the government of China’s position that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama “should abide by national laws and regulations”. Reiterating the government’s position that the Dalai Lama’s successor “must” be born within China’s border, the spokesperson added that the search for the reincarnation should be a “domestic search” through China’s golden urn method and approved by China’s central government in contrast to the traditional Tibetan Buddhist system of recognition.

On March 14, Karma Tseden, holding concurrent titles as the deputy secretary of the officially designated Tibet Autonomous Region party committee and chairman of the regional government, visited Sera Monastery to supervise and investigate religious affairs, according to Chinese state media. During his visit, Karma gave instructions on implementing CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping’s directives on religious work and Tibet governance, implementing the “three consciousnesses” education—national consciousness, citizen consciousness, and rule of law consciousness—and advancing the sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism. He engaged with monks and temple management committee members, instructing the need for ideological alignment with Party principles and “fostering unity among ethnic groups”. Karma required the monks to “play a leading role, better unite the religious masses around the Party and the government.”

Karma also inspected cultural relics at Sera Monastery calling for their protection and digital transformation to serve China’s propagandistic position that “Tibet has been an inseparable part of the great motherland since ancient times”.

On March 12, Kelsang Tseten, a member of the Standing Committee of the Lhasa Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the United Front Department, visited Sera and Drepung Monasteries to meet Tashi Gyaltsen and Jampel Lhasang, members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Lhasa City, upon their return participating in China’s Two Session, reported Chinese state media.

The Lhasa Party Committee standing committee member, told the two Lhasa City CPPCC members to study and propagate General Secretary Xi’s speeches and the proceedings from the Two Sessions. They were expected to be the propagandists of the “spirit of the Two Sessions” to guide the monks, nuns and the religious masses around the Party and the government.

From March 19-21, 2025, the Chinese authorities organized a mass indoctrination session for the monks of Tibetan Buddhist College, Radreng Monastery in Lhundrup County and Ramed Monastery in Gongkar County. Titled as “Sending Dharma into Monasteries”, the session aimed to align the monks with General Secretary Xi Jinping’s directive on religious affairs as well as the Party’s current strategy for governing Tibet. The activities focused on reinforcing the Party’s religious policies, legal governance of religious matters, and entrenching the “three consciousness” education—emphasizing national, legal, and civic awareness—while adapting Tibetan Buddhism to Chinese cultural and political norms.

During the event at the Tibetan Buddhist College, a propaganda group delivered presentations tailored to the audience highlighting key Chinese legal frameworks, including the Constitution, Civil Code, National Security Law, Network Security Law, Cultural Relics Protection Law, Regulations on Religious Affairs, Measures for the Administration of Tibetan Buddhist Temples, and regional religious regulations. Through this program, the Party seeks to instill in monks the notion that China’s national interests supersede religious ones and that state laws take precedence over canon laws.

Similar to the mass indoctrination campaign for the monks of the Radreng Monastery in Lhundrup County and Ramed Monastery in Gongkar County, the Vice Minister of the United Front Department of the Ngari (Ali) Party committee held an indoctrination campaign in Tsada (Zanda) county in Ngari Prefecture. Operating under the same campaign title of “Sending Dharma into Temples”, the local United Front Department, on March 22, carried out indoctrination sessions for the monks of Thodring Monastery and the local Tibetan population to adhere to “Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” and to follow China’s sinification of Tibetan Buddhism by complying with China’s “rule of law”, adhering to regulations such as the “Measures for the Administration of the Reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhism Living Buddha”, The “Measures for the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services” and “National Consciousness, Civic Consciousness, Rule of Law Awareness”.