Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made a rare trip to Tibet and hailed the crushing of “separatism” in the once-restive region, as Beijing prepares for a looming struggle over the successor of the aging and exiled Dalai Lama and the hearts and minds of millions of Tibetans.

Communist Party cadres waved Chinese flags, People’s Liberation Army soldiers marched with rifles, and Tibetans in colorful robes performed traditional dances at a ceremony marking 60 years since the founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

From a stage in front of Lhasa’s towering Potala Palace, Xi watched the meticulously choreographed celebration of Beijing’s firm control over the remote, resource-rich region that has a long history of resistance against Chinese rule.

The Potala Palace once served as the winter reside

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