CHENGDU, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official You Quan on Monday called for persistent efforts to foster ethnic unity and progress while focusing on creating a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.

More efforts should be made to extend the use of Mandarin and Chinese characters and promote exchanges and integration among ethnic groups, said You, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, at a conference on ethnic solidarity in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The conference was jointly held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, and the National Ethnic Affairs Commission.

Bater, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, also attended the meeting.