China will continue to highlight economic development in minority areas, an official with the State Ethnic Affairs Commission said Tuesday.

Mou Benli, vice minister of the commission, said at a national meeting on economic work in minority-populated areas that his commission would take an active role in the economic work.

This is the commission's first conference on economic development.

The vice minister said this year's key task for the commission is to participate in the development of the western areas inhabited mostly by ethnic groups. "The development of western areas provides the ethnic people with the best-ever historical opportunities," he noted.

He said the commission will try to raise funds from the cental government and solicit overseas investment to develop the ethnic areas.

"The development of the minorities and their economy is very important to the country's revitalization," he said.

The vice minister said that the GDP in ethnic areas last year was 7.8 percent higher than that of 1998, and the standard of living has been greatly improved.

Another 5 million people had been helped out of poverty in 1999, he said, and the commission will continue its efforts in that regard this year, especially for those people in remote areas.