A senior People's Liberation Army (PLA) officer said yesterday
that over 3 million soldiers have been mobilized to build 680
infrastructure projects in the past five years, two days after the
State Council honored 31 military units and 31 soldiers at the 4th
National Awards Ceremony for Ethnic Unity and Progress in
Beijing.
"As the majority of the army is garrisoned in areas inhabited by
ethnic minorities, relations between the PLA and local communities
are very important for the country's ethnic unity," said Chang
Shengrong, major general of the General Political Department of the
PLA.
Increasing awareness of ethnic minorities and religious
practices amongst soldiers and officers has also been a priority,
he said.
Community leaders have been invited to give talks and soldiers
are encouraged to study minority languages and get to know their
customs and religious beliefs, according to Chang.
The PLA has to date printed more than 600,000 pamphlets and
filmed 100 programs to help soldiers learn more about ethnic
minority affairs and relations, according to Chang.
China is home to 55 ethnic minorities with a total population of
more than 100 million, mainly living in the western part of the
country and frontier areas.
"The PLA cannot do its work well without the help of local
people, and development in many ethnic minority areas benefits from
help offered by the PLA," said Chang, who is in charge of the
army's civilian relations.
The construction and expansion of seven airports - including
Gonggar Airport in Tibet,
Hotan Airport in Xinjiang,
Dunhuang Airport in Gansu
and Jiuzhaigou Airport in Sichuan
- were all completed by PLA soldiers, according to Chang.
He said the army has also played an active role in humanitarian
relief work in minority regions, where conditions are often harsh
and natural disasters frequent.
PLA troops have taken part in more than 500 relief programs in
the past five years, arriving on site after earthquakes in Bachu,
Jiashi and Zhaosu counties in Xinjiang, and mudslides in Dehong in
Yunnan
Province and Yigong in Tibet.
They have rescued at least 600,000 people, at the cost of more
than 30 soldiers, said Chang.
He said last but not least, the PLA had "created a stable social
environment in ethnic minority regions."
From last year, Lanzhou Military Command and armed police in
Xinjiang have held joint military exercises with the armies of
neighboring countries, with the aim of polishing their terrorism
response mechanisms.
"Military exercises have effectively prevented terrorist forces
from disturbing social order and maintained safety and stability in
frontier regions," said the major general.
(China Daily May 30, 2005)