President Hu Jintao Friday called on the nation to make concerted efforts to promote ethnic unity and social and economic development in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities for common prosperity of the nation.
   
The issue of ethnic minorities "has always been a major one that we must handle well in the building of socialism with China's own characteristics" and a major work that has a bearing on the overall situation of the cause of the Party and people," he said in his keynote speech at the central conference on the work of ethic affairs, held in the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.
   
Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the Party has opened up a correct road to resolve the ethnic issue with China's own characteristics and enormous achievements have been made in promoting ethnic unity and progress.
   
The equal, unitary, mutually-supporting and harmonious relations among all ethnic groups in China have been constantly consolidated as people of different ethnic groups have participated in managing state affairs, Hu told the conference.
   
The system of regional ethnic autonomy has been even more perfect. Minority people have their legal rights protected and have made historic progress in the economic and social development.
   
China has 56 ethnic groups and more than 100 million ethnic minorities, and the ethnic autonomous areas account for 64 percent of the nation's land territory.

Hu called on the whole nation to have a correct understanding of the ethnic issue under the new situation, accomplish every job concerning the work of ethnic affairs, and help ethnic minorities and ethnic areas to step up economic and social progress to promote common prosperity and development of the whole nation.
   
"It is the natural requirement for us in our efforts to build a relatively affluent society in an all-round way, quicken the pace of our socialist modernization, consolidate and develop the great unity among all ethnic groups, ensure the long-lasting stability of the Party and the country, open up a new situation for building socialism with China's own characteristics, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," he said.
   
"We must fully respect and understand the differences of traditions, languages, cultures, customs and senses of national identity cultivated in the history of various ethnic groups. We should neither ignore their existence nor try to change them by force."
   
Instead, efforts should be made to create conditions to narrow and finally close the gap between development levels of various ethnic groups though it is a long-term job.
   
According to Hu, the ethnic issue in China is usually an expression of a combination of economic issues with political ones, of present-day problems with historical ones, of ethnic issues with religious ones, and of domestic issues with international ones.
   
Thus to handle the ethnic issue correctly has a bearing on the economic, politic and cultural fields as well as the building of a harmonious society, he said.
    
To realize the common prosperity of all ethnic groups is one of the major goals for China's current efforts to build a moderately well-off society in an all-round way, Hu stressed.
   
He quoted official figures as saying that in 2004, the per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) in ethnic autonomous areas was only 67.4% of the national average, while the per-capita net income of farmers there was merely 71.4 percent of the national average.
   
The Party and government will adopt more efficient policies and measures to step up economic and social development of ethnic minorities and ethnic areas, narrow the gap between development levels gradually, realize the coordinated development among different regions, and finally reach the goal of common prosperity of all ethnic groups in the country, he said.
   
The leadership of the Party and the socialist system of the country have laid a fundamental political foundation for the great unity of all ethnic groups, which is an important guarantee for us to stand the test of various difficulties and risks and win victory after victory in the past, at present and in the future, the president stressed.
   
He noted that after the Cold War, ethnic separatist forces, religious fundamentalist forces and violent terrorist forces have been quite active in the neighboring areas of China. They are trying every means to infiltrate and sabotage the country.
   
"Under such complicated situation, we must unswervingly carry out Party's policy toward nationalities and make vigorous efforts to do the work of ethnic affairs well," said Hu.
   
He pledged to adhere to and implement the basic theories and policies on ethnic issues developed by the three generations of Party leaders, consolidate and push forward the equal, united, mutually-supportive and harmonious relations among all ethnic groups, adhere to and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy, respect the religious belief of ethnic minorities, and resolve the ethnic issue in a fundamental way by helping ethnic minorities and ethnic areas to accelerate economic and social development.
  
While safeguarding the dignity of law and the interests of all ethnic groups, the government will crack down on ethnic separatist forces and their activities, firmly oppose the hostile forces outside China making use of the ethnic issue for acts of infiltration and sabotage, He stressed.
   
The president said that to support ethnic minorities and ethnic areas to accelerate development is a basic policy of the central authorities and a major task for pushing forward the development of the western region. He called for great efforts to help develop education, science and technology, culture, and public health, and give priority to accomplishing the work of poverty eradication and development in ethnic areas.
   
More talented professionals from ethnic minorities will be trained and more ethnic officials be promoted, Hu said.
   
He also called for intensified efforts to strengthen the unity of all ethnic groups and safeguard the unity of the whole nation, stressing that the reunification of the motherland is the supreme interest of all ethnic groups and the unity of all ethnic groups is a major guarantee for the reunification of the motherland.
   
He urged Party organizations at all levels to strengthen and improve the Party's leadership in the work of ethnic affairs, saying the leadership of the Party is the fundamental assurance for accomplishing the work.

(Xinhua News Agency May 28, 2005)