During his discussions with ethnic minority members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), he said it is the established policy of the central authorities to work for the all-round prosperity of all ethnic groups across China and particularly support the development in ethnic minority areas.

"The support will be reinforced continuously with the further growth of the national economy and the increase in the country's financial resources," Hu told the members who are in Beijing to attend the First Session of the 10th CPPCC National Committee, which opened Monday.

He noted that emphasis should be placed on the development of human resources and the training of officials from ethnic minority groups. "It is essential to train all types of qualified personnel and increase the competence of workers, and to train and upbring a large contingent of specialized personnel required by the development of ethnic regions," he added.

Hu also called for hard work to be done for safeguarding China's national unity and ethnic solidarity by means of carrying out education on patriotism among officials and masses of people groups throughout the country.

Moreover, he noted, it is essential to adhere to and further improve the system of autonomy in ethnic areas, so to guarantee that the Law on Regional Autonomy of Ethnic Minorities would be implemented in a comprehensive way.

The CPC general secretary was accompanied by Jia Qinglin, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and executive chairman of the presidium of the First Session of 10th CPPCC National Committee.

(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2003)