More ethnic unity urged across nation

President Xi Jinping gives awards for ethnic unity and progress to individual role models and groups on Friday in Beijing. Li Xueren /XINHUA

President adds patriotic teaching should be priority

President Xi Jinping stressed the need to strengthen community spirit in the Chinese nation, calling on people of all ethnic groups to unite and strive together to achieve common prosperity and development to create a brighter future.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark Friday at a gathering to honor national role models in the area of ethnic unity and progress.

The history of China is a history about how all ethnic groups made concerted efforts to create, develop and consolidate the great and united motherland, Xi said, noting that a united and diverse Chinese nation — a legacy inherited from the past — is a great advantage for the country's development.

Xi said that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era and the Chinese nation is now at its best period of development in modern times. He called on people of all ethnic groups to unite and strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Xi said all ethnic affairs must be dealt with according to the law and the legal rights and interests of all ethnic groups must be guaranteed. Cases and incidents involving ethnicity should be handled appropriately according to law, he said.

The president stressed that China should be on high alert for, and severely crack down on, all kinds of infiltration, subversion, destructive activities, terrorist incidents, ethnic separatist movements and religious extremism.

Practice has proved that only the CPC can realize the great unity of the Chinese nation, and only socialism with Chinese characteristics can unite, develop and bring prosperity to all ethnic groups, Xi said.

He also urged efforts to fully boost education of standard spoken and written Chinese in ethnic minority regions and improve cultural and scientific conditions of people from different ethnic groups.

Patriotic education for teenagers should occupy a more prominent position in order to enable love of country to be deeply rooted in the heart of every child, Xi said.

He underlined the importance of ethnic minority groups and ethnic minority regions joining the rest of the country in building a moderately well-off society in a comprehensive way, realizing modernization.

The achievements of China's reform and development should benefit the people of all ethnic minority groups in a more equitable way, he added.

Before delivering his speech, Xi granted awards to role models and groups. A total of 665 groups and 812 individuals were honored as national role models in the area of ethnic unity and progress.