Symposium held to mark promulgation of Law on Regional Autonomy

A senior Chinese legislator Sunday called for better enforcement of the Law on Regional Autonomy for China's Minority Nationalities, saying it's of great importance to national unity and common prosperity of all ethnic groups.

Addressing a symposium held Sunday in Beijing to mark the 20th anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the Law on Regional Autonomy for China's Minority Nationalities, Ismail Amat, vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing

Committee, said that the law has played an exceedingly important role in safeguarding national unity, guaranteeing the equal rights and autonomy of ethnic minorities, promoting the rapid development of economic and social progress of ethnic minorities and autonomous areas and harmonizing relations among all ethnic groups in the 20 years since it was put into force.

The law was adopted in May 1984 at the Second Session of the Sixth National People's Congress, China's top legislature. Even before that, China had been in practice carrying out the regional ethnic autonomy system and established a number of autonomous areas.

By the end of 1998, five autonomous regions, 30 autonomous prefectures and 120 autonomous counties (banners) had been established, as well as 1,256 ethnic townships. Of the 55 ethnic minorities, 44 had their own autonomous areas, with a population of 75 percent of the total of the ethnic minorities and an area of 64 percent of the area of the whole country.

Ethnic autonomous areas enjoy rights to make laws, training and employing people of ethnic minorities, developing education and ethnic culture and using ethnic language, among many others. All these ethnic autonomous areas are subject to the unified leadership of the state.

Source: Xinhua