VIENNA, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- A visiting Chinese delegation of Tibetologists met with Austrian media Tuesday, giving an account of Tibet's situation and frankly answering questions from journalists.

    Journalists from Austria's leading media, including the Austrian Press Agency and the newspaper die Presse, and some local Chinese media attended the meeting at a press club in Vienna.

    Shen Kaiyun, head of the delegation, said the democratic reform in 1959 overthrew old Tibet's theocratic system, a regime similar to that in the Middle Ages of Europe.

    Over the past 50 years, Tibet has witnessed a huge economic and social progress, he said.

    When answering questions raised by Austrian journalists, Shen refuted some Westerners' claim that the March 14 riots in Lhasa were mainly triggered by Tibetans' dissatisfaction with the immigration of many Han people, who allegedly occupied their living space.

    He said that in fact, the Han people only account for about 5 percent of Tibet's current population of 2.84 million.

    Dawa Ciren, a member of the delegation, said China's central government has made a huge investment in the social and economic development in Tibet.

    Great achievements have been made in such fields as infrastructure construction, health care, education, environmental protection, culture and religion, he said.

    However, Dawa Ciren said, some people always look at all these achievements with prejudice and distort facts intentionally.

    Tibetans are not at all discriminated in China, said Eri Hangdan, another delegation member, adding that on the contrary, they can enjoy various favors in birth control, education, employment and business.

    Governments at all levels have also attached great importance to the protection, collection and study of Tibet's culture, he said.

    Eri Hangdan said the application of some representative works of the Tibetan culture, such as the epic King Gesar, for the UN Intangible Cultural Heritage is being carried out actively.

    Late Tuesday, the delegation also had a meeting with teachers and students from the Confucius Institute of the University of Vienna, exchanging views on issues like Tibet's current situation and challenges.

    The delegation arrived in Vienna Sunday for a three-day visit to Austria.