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Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities

  Regional autonomy for ethnic minorities in China means that, under the unified leadership of the state, regional autonomy is practiced in areas where people of ethnic minorities live in compact communities. In these areas, organs of self-government are established for the exercise of autonomy. The implementation of this policy is critical to enhancing the relationship of equality, unity and mutual assistance among different ethnic groups, to upholding national unification, and to accelerating the development of places where regional autonomy is practiced and promoting their progress.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China's first provincial-level ethnic autonomous region--the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region--was established in 1947 in the liberated areas inhabited by Mongolians before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. By the end of 2003, China had established 155 ethnic autonomous areas. Of these, five are autonomous regions, 30 autonomous prefectures and 120 autonomous counties (banners). According to the Fifth National Census, of the 55 ethnic minorities, 44 have their own ethnic autonomous areas. The population of ethnic minorities practicing regional autonomy accounts for 71 percent of the total population of ethnic minorities, and the area where such regional autonomy is practiced accounts for 64 percent of the entire territory of China.

In places where ethnic minorities live in compact communities but where the establishment of autonomous areas is not feasible, because the populations of the ethnic minorities and the areas they live in are relatively small, or because the populations are scattered, the Constitution provides that ethnic townships shall be established, so that the minority peoples there can also exercise the right to administer the internal affairs of the ethnic group and be the masters of their own areas. In 1993, the Chinese Government issued the Regulations on the Administrative Work of Ethnic Townships to guarantee the implementation of the system of ethnic townships. By the end of 2003, China had established 1,173 ethnic townships in areas equivalent to townships where ethnic minorities live in compact communities.

The organs of self-government in ethnic autonomous areas perform the functions and powers of local organs of state as prescribed in Section Five, Chapter Three of the Constitution. They also exercise the power of self-government provided for in the Constitution, the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy and other laws, and of carrying out and implementing state laws and policies in the light of specific local conditions. The state organs at higher levels guarantee that organs of self-government in ethnic autonomous areas exercise their right of self-government.

White Paper on Ethnic Autonomy in Tibet

On May 23, 2004, the Information Office of the State Council issued a white paper, entitled "Regional Ethnic Autonomy in Tibet." It was the first time that the Chinese Government issued a white paper dedicated to introducing the implementation of the system of regional ethnic autonomy in Tibet. The white paper gave an overall review and introduction of the political, economic and cultural development as well as social progress in Tibet over the last four decades since it began practicing regional ethnic autonomy, with an aim of having the international community gain a better understanding of China's policy toward ethnic minorities and the reality in Tibet.

Protect and Foster Traditional Cultures

At present, each of the 55 ethnic minorities in China has its own brief written history.

The state has set up special institutions to collate, translate and study in an organized and programmed manner the three major heroic epics of China's ethnic minorities, i.e., Gesar (an oral Tibetan epic), Jangar (a Mongolian epic) and Manas, (an epic of the Kirgiz people). In the past decade, the state has appropriated over 30 million yuan for the collation and publishing of 160 volumes of the Buddhist Tripitaka in the Tibetan language.

With the assistance of the state and efforts of the ethnic autonomous areas, by 2003, 4,787 titles of books in ethnic minority languages had been published, totaling 50.34 million copies. There were also 205 magazines and 88 newspapers in such languages, totaling 7.81 million copies and 131.3 million copies, respectively. The ethnic autonomous areas had set up 513 art performing troupes, 566 libraries and 163 museums.