BEIJING, April 16 (AFP) - Material support to Tibet from the Chinese government was an essential weapon in the fight against separatism, a senior Chinese official said Wednesday.

"Experience over the last few years has shown that material support to Tibet is not just a question of economics, but a major factor in the stability of Tibet," Li Ruihuan, a member of the permanent committee of the politburo, was quoted by state television as saying.

Economic aid "was directly linked to the fight against the Dalai Lama and preserving national unity," Li told a meeting on economic aid to Tibet.

"Without economic development it is not worth discussing anything else," he reportedly said.

Tibet has been the scene of bloody clashes between the security forces and supporters of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who fled into exile in India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

Following a meeting between the government and the party in 1994, 62 factories were opened in Tibet, the secretary general of the State Council, Luo Gan, told the meeting, television reported.