Senior Chinese official stresses ethnic unity, development in Inner Mongolia

HOHHOT, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese official urged north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to reinforce the sense of all ethnic groups being within the community of the Chinese nation, while pursuing long-lasting stability and prosperity as well as high-quality development.

Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour to Inner Mongolia from April 24 to 26.

Wang inspected local businesses and research institutes and talked with grassroots lawmakers during the tour.

He called on the region to foster new development edges and strive for progress on economic and social development. The focus should be placed on key technologies, with greater energy devoted to advanced manufacturing and the sectors of wind power, solar power and new materials, Wang said.

A comprehensive approach should be taken to deal with air, water and soil pollution, he said, urging the border region to enhance its efforts on ecological preservation.

Wang also called on local lawmakers to provide strong legal safeguards for ethnic unity and high-quality development.