India, Aug. 21 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday made a rare visit to Tibet, a region where Beijing is accused of rights abuse, and urged ethnic unity as well as "religious harmony".

Xi's visit comes ahead of possible tensions over the succession of the 90-year-old Dalai Lama, who lives in India, where he established a Tibetan government in exile.

The long-standing China-Tibet dispute revolves around complex geopolitical issue concerning the status and governance of region.

Many Tibetans and international observers argue that Tibet was historically an independent nation, while China maintains that it has been an integral part of its territory for centuries.

In 1913, the 13th Dalai Lama declared Tibet's de facto independence...