Successful Practice of Party's Ethnic and Religious Policies

This report, written by Our Staff Reporters Yuan Jianda, Chen Zhixia, Liu Qiong and Zhang Fan and published on the Column "Summarizing Basic Experiences and Greeting the New Century" in People's Daily, is about NPC deputies and CPPCC members to the "two sessions" discussing the question on strengthening ethnic and religious work. The report runs as follows:

NPC deputies and CPPCC members attending the "two sessions", when talking about the ever-stronger unity among people of all nationalities of China during the period of reform and opening up, particularly over the past decade, they came to the same conclusion: The ethnic and religious policies, scientifically formulated by our Party and government in light of China's reality, are the best since the dawn of history of the Chinese nation; compared with other countries in the world, China is most successful in handling ethnic and religious issues. None of the hot spots and hot issues in the world today is unconnected with ethnic and religious questions. China has blazed a correct trail with Chinese characteristics in handling nationality and religious issues. The idea that people of all nationalities "share a common fate and link their hearts together", that "the Han nationality can't do without the minority nationalities, the ethnic minorities can't do without the Han nationality, and the ethnic minorities can't do without each other", has gone ever-deeper into the hearts of the people; Enhanced unity, mutual trust, mutual support and mutual aid among people of all ethnic groups will definitely bring about common development and common prosperity for various nationalities.

CPPCC member Sha Zhiyuan from Beijing and NPC deputy Ma Xiangmei from Gansu Province said: At the Central Ethnic Working Conference held last year, Comrade Jiang Zemin made an incisive summary of the experiences gained in China's nationality work. Just as he pointed out, the fundamental reason for the enormous achievements gained in China's nationality work lies in the formulation and implementation of a whole set of policies that feature national equality, national unity, regional national autonomy and common development and prosperity for all ethnic groups and that integrate the basic theory of Marxism with the actuality of China's ethnic problems, and the taking of a correct road with Chinese characteristics for the solution of ethnic problems. Since the initiation of reform and opening policies, China's ethnic minorities and nationality regions have experienced earth-shaking changes, witnessed the rapid development of the economic and cultural undertakings, the further improvement of the system of regional national autonomy, the development and expansion of the cadre ranks of ethnic minorities, the noticeable rise in people's living standards, and the constant consolidation and strengthening of the socialist ethnic relationship featuring equality, unity, and mutual aid. All these achievements are inseparably related with the conscientious effort in implementing the Party's nationality policy and comprehensively strengthening the Party's ethnic and religious work.

Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and other major cities, in a bid to carry out the Party's nationality policy, have trained a large batch of high-level State functionaries by various methods for the minority ethnic areas over past years; at the same time, they have also provided talents for the country's launch of the large-scale development of the western regions, thus forming a new nationality relationship characterized by mutual aid and mutual promotion among various ethnic groups.

NPC deputies Liu Mingzu and Yun Erzhu from Inner Mongolia said: Inner Mongolia has witnessed rapid economic development and sustained social progress over the past few years, an important experience they have gained is that the local people have done a solid job in implementing the Party's policy on regional national autonomy, people of all ethnic groups of the whole region have united in the effort for the cause of construction in various fields, thinking and working with one heart and one mind and have thus brought about increasing prosperity for the frontier areas. Today, Inner Mongolia is faced with the excellent opportunity offered by the country's large-scale development of the western regions, people of the whole region should carry forward the fine tradition characterized by national unity and model autonomous region and push various undertakings forward.

CPPCC member Yang Yiqun from Yunnan Province said: In recent years, the central government has, through strengthening resources development and infrastructure construction in the ethnic minority areas, implemented the central finance payment-transfer system, rationalized the price of resource products, intensified help-the-poor efforts, thereby vigorously promoting the stability and development in ethnic minority areas

Luo Guanzong, standing committee member of the CPPCC National Committee, said: In the past decade, the Party and government have further strengthened and improved religious work, properly handled the increasingly complicated religious problems arising under the new situation and have thus .maintained stability in the religious circle. The principle put forward by Comrade Jiang Zemin for political unity and cooperation and mutual respect among the religious circle has received support from people in the religious circle. The people of the religious circle who love the motherland and religion have enhanced unity, and have thus made their due contributions to socialist construction and development. In the past few years, in particular, Party committees and governments at all levels have conscientiously implemented the Party Central Committee's important instruction on religious problems, the Party's religious policy has been further carried out, Chinese people's freedom of religious belief has been fully protected, people in the religious circle have participated in the administration and discussion of State affairs, their opinions and suggestions have been able to be timely conveyed to the higher authorities concerned, the patriotic united front which includes the religious circle has been consolidated and developed.

CPPCC members from Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia said: Chinese citizens have the freedom to believe and not to believe in religion, both should show respect for each other. People of all ethnic groups most strongly oppose any activity to split the motherland by exploiting ethnic and religious problems. The State has planned to develop the western regions, most of these regions are ethnic minority areas where there are many religious believers. We must act strictly in accordance with the spirit of the Party Central Committee's instructions, actively guide religion to adapt itself to the socialist society, we must resolutely attack hostile and separatist forces who take advantage of ethnic and religious problems to carry out activities designed to sabotage and split the motherland; we should pay attention to both economic construction and to national unity and social stability, and make the ethnic minority areas become more beautiful, richer and better.

Back to top
Copyright by People's Daily Online, All rights reserved