BEIJING - Freedom of religious belief of all ethnic groups in Tibet is respected and protected, says the white paper "Sixty Years Since Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" which was issued Monday by the Information Office of the State Council.

It says that all religions and religious sects are equal in Tibet.

On Tibet's dominant religion, Tibetan Buddhism, the paper says that the Living Buddha reincarnation system, unique to Tibetan Buddhism, is fully respected.

Moreover, people are free to learn and debate Buddhist doctrines, get ordained as monks and practice Buddhist rites, it says.

The central government has listed some famous religious sites as cultural relics units that are under government protection, including the Potala Palace, Jokhang Monastery, and Tashilhunpo, Drepung, Sera and Sakya monasteries, it says.

Tibet now has more than 1,700 venues for religious activities, and about 46,000 monks and nuns, while more than one million worshipers make pilgrimage to Lhasa each year, according to the white paper.

At the same time, ethnic culture in Tibet is enjoying unprecedented prosperity, the paper says, adding that the central and regional governments always attach great importance to carrying on, protecting and developing Tibetan culture.

The study, use and development of the Tibetan language are protected by law, and the Tibetan script has become the first ethnic-minority script in China that has international text coding standards for information exchange, it says.

The government has altogether apportioned 1.45 billion yuan (224 million U.S. dollars) to maintain and repair the Potala Palace, the Norbulingka and Sakya Monastery, and other cultural relics and historical sites, according to the document.