China's top leaders say Tibet's development must include Tibetan areas in neighboring provinces a move likely aimed at tying the region tighter to the rest of the country after deadly riots two years ago.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Saturday said he was surprised at China's protest against his planned visit to an area of India claimed by Beijing, hinting he backed India on the border issue.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled leader, will make a week-long visit to an Indian state bordering China, his aide said on Thursday, a trip that is bound to upset Beijing, which claims part of the territory as its own.

Tibet received a record 4.75 million tourists in the first nine months of this year, state media reported Wednesday, marking a rebound from ethnic rioting and security clampdowns last year that shut the Himalayan region to travelers.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday named a new coordinator for Tibet tasked with promoting dialogue between China and representatives of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader.

A total of 1.2 million tourists visited Tibet last month — a record for July — state media said Sunday, as travelers returned to the Himalayan region 17 months after deadly unrest there.

A dog is suspected to be the origin of an outbreak of pneumonic plague in northwest China that has killed three people and left 10,000 under strict quarantine, state media reported.

The expansion project of Peace Airport in Xigaze prefecture in southwestern China's Tibet Autonomous Region will be completed before the end of next year, local government said on Sunday.

The Dalai Lama celebrated his 74th birthday Monday in a typically jocular mood, remarking lightheartedly that the prayers being said for him might help him live to at least 100.

Dutch MPs will host Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama for a meeting in June despite a letter of protest from the Chinese ambassador, a parliament spokeswoman said Thursday.