> It seemed a little weird that China would want to “settle” Tibet considering that the most economically prosperous regions of the Country are on the Coastal regions. What are the incentives to abandon your home and move to a strange land?

If you're interested in the issue, the term of art is "China proper". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_proper

I asked someone once what the point of China owning Xinjiang was. He responded "we don't want them to attack us".

For Tibet, I agree with magicsmoke that it is incredibly significant as the source of both of China's rivers. I can't imagine China willingly ceding control over those.