The advancement of human rights, economic development and ecological civilization are pillars propping up development on the "roof of the world", said participants of the International Symposium for Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Peaceful Liberation of Xizang.

Experts from 10 countries examined these cornerstones at the event that Xizang University hosted in Lhasa on May 23, following days of field study in the Xizang autonomous region's capital and Nyingchi.

"(China) has consistently promoted (its) own interpretation of human rights, which holds that improving socioeconomic conditions and the quality of life of common people is the fundamental of human rights," said Khadga Bahadur Khatri Chhetri, international relations professor at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal.

"People now live better lives thanks to a stable social environment, economic and cultural prosperity, and a healthy ecosystem. This will give the international community a fair picture of the significant change that has occurred in Xizang."

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China journalism department head Zhan Xun agreed that the region's upgraded conditions are updating discussions about Xizang.

"The most significant reference value of building a beautiful Xizang lies in providing a modernization model that is observable, experienceable and capable of generating empathy," she said.

Zhejiang International Studies University associate professor and Chile's former consul general in Shanghai, Claudio Rojas Rachel, said Xizang's progress can be understood through the framework of "positive constructivism".

"This theoretical perspective understands human rights as social realities built gradually through local development, inclusive governance and collective social consensus. The advancement of human rights in Xizang alongside modernization features inclusive growth that benefits every community," he explained.

"Achievements such as the eradication of absolute poverty, universal access to education, healthcare and social security, and the safeguarding of cultural rights and religious freedom all reflect the priority given to the right to subsistence and development as foundational human rights."

German journalist Nils Bergemann agreed this is not only changing Xizang's material realities but also international narratives about it.

"(Xizang) is increasingly discussed not only in cultural or historical terms but also in connection with infrastructure, poverty reduction and regional development," Bergemann said.

"Good policy is easy to recognize — namely, by its results. Growth must reach the broader population. Poverty is not a natural condition or fate."

He pointed to such feats as constructing railways under extreme natural conditions and said that Xizang is shifting toward "high-quality" development.

"High-quality development means more than simply increasing economic output. It also means reducing regional disparities, improving infrastructure, expanding access to public services and creating long-term opportunities in geographically difficult regions," said Bergemann, who is also a lecturer at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.

"Development today increasingly includes digital infrastructure and public services. High-quality development means … not only growth itself but better connectivity, broader participation and improved living conditions for ordinary people."

Southwest University's International Research Center for STEAM Interdisciplinary Education director Frank Stonier said his center will work to enhance science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics education in Xizang.

He discussed cooperation with Xizang University to combine AI with STEAM and project-based learning.

"With virtual laboratories, data analysis and model simulation, we make scientific exploration lower-cost, lower-risk and higher-quality," he said.

"We are ready to deepen cooperation with Xizang University, share resources, co-develop courses and co-train teachers so that innovative education can blossom on the plateau.

"Xizang's educators recognize science education and interdisciplinary integration … and are eager to bring advanced concepts back to the Xizang autonomous region so that more local children can access high-quality science education."

Zhan also said educational advancement informs the region's progress.

"For Xizang, upholding the rights to survival and development as the primary basic human rights means legally guaranteeing every citizen's basic rights to modern education, social integration and employment," she said.

Rojas Rachel explained the region's progress is best understood when viewed within China's overall development.

"Centered on peace and stability, the future of human rights advancement in Xizang remains fully integrated into China's overall national development path," he said.

"Guided by a people-centered philosophy, the region will continue consolidating development gains, advancing holistic human development and sustaining human rights progress through constructive, inclusive and internationally connected practices."