BEIJING, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- An international-standard Tibetan character code has approved by the International Standards Organization, making the Tibetan script the first ethnic minority script in China with an international standard, said a white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council on Thursday.

    In 1984 a Tibetan-script processing system compatible with Chinese and English versions was developed, and so precise Tibetan-script photo typesetting was realized, said the white paper titled "Protection and Development of Tibetan Culture".

    At present, a Tibetan grammar framework and a grammar system have been set up for automatic machine processing in Tibet, and the work to enable automatic word segmentation and chunking identification of texts in the Tibetan script by machine is under way, it said.

    The paper said a machine-based Tibetan-Chinese dictionary (120,000 entries) has been completed, while an electronic dictionary of Tibetan grammar needed for machine translation has been set up, laying a solid foundation for passing down, spreading and carrying forward Tibetan culture in the information age.

    The application of computer technology and wide use of the Internet have provided a new platform for the learning, use and development of the Tibetan language, said the white paper.

    An advanced Tibetan-script editorial system, laser photo typesetting system and electronic publishing system developed independently in China have been widely applied in the press and publication field of Tibet, it added.

    Through Tibetan platforms on the Internet and mobile phones, Tibetans can browse, read, listen to or watch domestic and world news and get access to all kinds of various kinds of other information, said the paper.

    Tibetan has also been widely adopted for postal and telecommunications services in Tibet, including Tibetan telegram, Tibetan paging and Tibetan SMS, it said.

    The advent of an identification system for Tibetan documents marked the prelude to a campaign to apply Tibetan script identification in the digitalization of the Tibetan language, the paper said.