( CNN ) -- Days ahead of another anniversary of the bloody Tibetan uprising -- and six decades after Communists took over the region -- Chinese government officials stressed the need for `` stability '' in the disputed territory while promising `` reform '' and infrastructure upgrades . President Hu Jintao focused on spurring economic growth and increasing Beijing 's investment in the region Sunday during a speech to Tibet 's delegation to the Chinese national legislature . `` Meticulous efforts must be paid to the tasks of reform , development and stability to ( bolster ) development and maintain perennial stability in Tibet , '' Hu said , according to a report in the state-run Xinhua news agency . These remarks were among a host of Tibet-centric announcements Sunday -- four days before March 10 , which will mark 52 years since the start of the largest , and deadliest , clashes between independence-minded Tibetans and forces aligned with the central Communist government in Beijing . That day in 1959 , about 300,000 people surrounded Norbulinka palace , according to the advocacy group Free Tibet , fearful the Dalai Lama would be forcibly taken to Beijing . Tensions ratcheted up further and eventually exploded into violence , with Free Tibet estimating more than 85,000 Tibetans were killed by Chinese armed forces in a few days . The Dalai Lama , then 23 , escaped on horseback to India . Establishing a home in the hill town of Dharamsala , he also has travelled the world giving speeches , attended meditation conferences and met people from CEOs to Hollywood stars to heads of state -- all while remaining head of Tibet 's government-in-exile . In 2009 , 20 years after winning the Nobel Peace Prize , he said the Chinese government has made life `` hell on Earth '' for Tibetans ever since that foiled rebellion . Yet , even as the Dalai Lama has said Tibet desires autonomy and cultural continuity but not necessarily full independence from Beijing , China 's central government has viewed him as a troublemaker intent on destroying the nation 's sovereignty . Combating `` anything that could sabotage stability '' was a key theme Sunday for Zhang Qinli , the Beijing-backed Communist party chief of the Tibetan region , according to another Xinhua report . Zhang said there were `` very grave challenges '' from separatists in Tibet , 60 years after what he called the `` peaceful liberation '' of Tibet by Communist forces led by Mao Zedong . He warned that Tibet `` will not develop '' economically without stability . `` The majority of the Tibetan people are unwilling to suffer from social unrest , '' Zhang said . Hu and Zhang both touted a desire to jump-start development in the remote area , and several other officials offered specific proposals to that end . Among them , China 's transportation minister Li Shenglin said Sunday that all counties in Tibet would have paved roadways by 2015 . While not giving a currency amount for the project 's cost , he said Beijing would double its current investment -- so that almost all villages would be accessible via highways by adding 12,000 kilometers ( 7,500 miles ) of blacktop , over the next five years . A network of `` expressways , '' too , should soon link the Tibetan cities of Lhasa , Xigaze , Nagqu , Shannan and Nyingchi , Li said in the Xinhua report . Another official told the news agency that a new train line -- also to be built by 2015 -- would drastically cut travel time between the capitals of the provinces of ethnic Tibet and Xinjiang . The creation of a new railway between Golmud in northwestern Qinghai province and Korla in Xinjiang would mean travelers between Lhasa , Tibet , and Urumqi , Xinjiang , would have to traverse 1,000 fewer kilometers ( 621 miles ) in track than they now do . `` The new railway line will play a significant role in boosting the economic development in the country 's western regions and promoting exchanges among different ethnic groups , '' said Luo Yulin , vice governor of Qinghai .
Thursday is the anniversary of the Tibetan uprising , after which the Dalai Lama fled . On Sunday , China 's president says `` reform , development and stability '' are needed in Tibet . A Communist leader points to `` very grave challenges '' from separatists in Tibet . Chinese officials announce plans to add more roads and a key railway in the region .