Home / News Type Content Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Symposium Marks Promulgation of Law on Regional Autonomy
Adjust font size:

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)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>
- Amendment to Autonomy Law Benefits Ethnic Minorities
- Backgrounder: China's Policies on Tibet
- Minorities in Spotlight
- Books Build Ethnic Unity
- Ethnic Arts Facing Life or Death
- Efforts to Preserve Ethnic Music
- Ethnic Culture Protection Upgraded in Yunnan
- Dengba Leader Recalls Tradition in Midst of Change
Most Viewed >>
- World's longest sea-spanning bridge to open
- Yao out for season with stress fracture in left foot
- 141 seriously polluting products blacklisted
- China starts excavation for world's first 3G nuclear plant
- Irresponsible remarks on Hu Jia case opposed 
- 'The China Riddle'
- China, US agree to step up constructive,cooperative relations
- FIT World Congress: translators on track
- Christianity popular in Tang Dynasty
- Factory fire kills 15, injures 3 in Shenzhen

Product Directory
China Search
Country Search
Hot Buys