BEIJING, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Equal importance is given to both Tibetan and Chinese in Tibet, with priority given to Tibetan undercurrent laws and regulations, according to a white paper issued bythe Information Office of the State Council on Thursday.

    The Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Law on Ethnic Regional Autonomy both clearly prescribe that all ethnic minorities have the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written languages, said the white paper titled "Protection and Development of Tibetan Culture".

    The Tibet Autonomous Region issued and implemented the Several Provisions of the Tibet Autonomous Region on the Learning, Use and Development of Tibetan (Trial) in 1987 and the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Several Provisions of the Tibet Autonomous Region on the Learning, Use and Development of Tibetan (Trial) in 1988, it said.

    In 2002, the Tibet Autonomous Region revised the above provisions for trial implementation into the Provisions of the Tibet Autonomous Region on the Learning, Use and Development of Tibetan, providing a reliable legal guarantee in this respect.

    To promote this work, in 1988 the Language Steering Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region was set up, later renamed the Language Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

    Tibetan language translation institutes have been established in all prefectures (cities) and counties, the paper said.

    At present there are over 100 Tibetan language translation institutes and nearly 1,000 specialists in translation and relevant work in Tibet.