Ismail Amat, vice chairman of the National People's Congress
(NPC) Standing Committee, was the keynote speaker at a symposium
held in Beijing Sunday to mark the 20th anniversary of the
implementation of the Law on Regional Autonomy for China's Minority
Nationalities. He said that the law has played an exceedingly
important role in safeguarding national unity, guaranteeing the
equal rights and autonomy of ethnic minorities, promoting the rapid
economic and social development of the minorities and autonomous
areas, and harmonizing relations among all ethnic groups.
However, he also called for stronger enforcement of the law,
which was adopted in May 1984 at the Second Session of the Sixth
National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
Before the law's promulgation, China had begun implementing the
regional ethnic autonomy system and had established a number of
autonomous areas.
By the end of 1998, five autonomous regions, 30 autonomous
prefectures and 120 autonomous counties and banners had been
established, as well as 1,256 ethnic townships. Of the 55 ethnic
minorities, 44 had their own autonomous areas, inhabited by 75
percent of the ethnic minority population. The total area occupied
64 percent of the country.
Autonomous areas have the rights to make laws, develop
specialized education and ethnic culture and use their own
language, among many others. All these ethnic autonomous areas are
subject to the unified leadership of the state.
(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2004)