Building socialism with Chinese characters needs the participation of all Chinese nationalities. Only by arousing the enthusiasm and creativeness of all Chinese nationalities to the fullest can we add new strength to the building of socialist cause with Chinese characters and achieve national rejuvenation.

During the 13 years from the Fourth Plenary Session of the Thirteenth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to the 16th Congress of the Communist Party of China the third generation of the Party's central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at the leading position adhered to the combination of Marxist basic principle with the contemporary practical work of Chinese nation and raised high the banner of national solidarity and progress. As a result, a new situation of national work of China has been opened up and a new historical chapter of China national solidarity and struggle has been written.

Pay high attention to the issue and work of nationalities

China is a unified country with many nationalities. Doing national work and settling national issues have a bearing on national solidarity, economic development, social stability and national unification of China. In the 13 years, the third generation of the Party's central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at the leading position always paid high attention to the national issue and work and the development in ethnic areas while pushing ahead with reforms, opening up and modernization drive. The third generation leadership worked out a series of important decisions and planning, enriching the theory and practice for the Party's national work.

From late 1980s to early 1990s profound changes took place in the international situation and the national issue became more predominant. Comrade Jiang Zemin grasped the development of the national issue at home and abroad. He stressed that under the new historical conditions the national issue and work should be put on an important position. He pointed out national unification and solidarity is the basic interests of all the nationalities. National cohesive force is an important marker for measuring a country's comprehensive strength. Economic strength or strength of science and technology or national defense, they cannot form composition of forces if without national cohesive force and cannot form strong national strength. Jiang pointed out maintaining national unification and solidarity is the basic principle for settling national issue and for doing national work. We should adhere to this at any time and at any condition. We will consolidate and develop the socialist relations of nationalities based on equality, mutual assistance and solidarity in order to achieve common development and prosperity of all nationalities.

Jiang Zemin has summarized the practical experience of China's national work and absorbed the experiences and lessons of other countries in handling the national issues. Based on this he has expounded a series of important ideological viewpoints. He pointed out the contemporary national issue consisted of five basic features: universality, long term nature, complexity, internationalism and essentiality. The key to quicken the economic development is the settlement of the national issue at the present stage of China. All the nationalities are equal. Han nationality cannot be separated from ethnic nationalities and vice versa. And it is also true among minorities. All nationalities must feel with each other, cast their lot with each other and make hearts beat with each other. The system of national autonomous region must be adhered to and perfected. The "Law on National Autonomous Region" must be implemented seriously. Cadres of minorities must be trained. Maintaining the unification of the mother and national solidarity is the highest interests for all nationalities and a key to doing national work well. The Party's religious policies must be implemented when handling the national issues. The Party's leadership should be strengthened and perfected in the national work in order to promote all-round progress and common prosperity of all nationalities. A series of ideological viewpoints of Comrade Jiang Zemin have enriched and developed the Marxist theory on nationality, upbringing the acquaintance upon the Party's national issue and work to a new level. It is of important guiding significance to the cause of the national solidarity and progress in China.

In the 13 years, the central committee of the Party with Jiang Zemin at the leading position has always had the economic and social development in the areas of minorities on its mind. Comrade Jiang Zemin has been to the Xizang (Tibet) plateau and Xinjiang and all other ethnic areas and brought the Party's care and greetings to the ethnic people there. The central committee of the Party convened twice the Central National Working Conference and the Honoring Conference of All-China National Solidarity and Progress. Comrade Jiang Zemin delivered important speeches at the conferences and put forward explicit demands for doing national work. In setting up socialist market economic system and the China's western development strategy the central committee of the Party has paid attention to settling the special difficulties and problems of ethnic minorities, made a series of preferential policies to bring about all-round development to ethnic areas and cemented the unity of all nationalities. The 13 years is a period in which the regions inhabited by ethnic groups have been developed in a big way, a period of the great unity of Chinese nation, and an another golden age for national work. This is the great victory for the socialist cause with Chinese characters, and the great success of the Party's and state's national policy.

Withholding and perfecting the system of regional autonomy of ethnic minorities

The Communist Party of China has created the regional autonomy of ethnic minorities. It is a basic policy to solve the national issue in China and a basic state political system. Comrade Jiang Zemin pointed out that the system proved to be suitable for the realities of the country through several decades' test with strong vitality. In a new historical condition, the system of regional autonomy of ethnic minorities must be abided by and perfected unswervingly.

Jiang Zemin stressed that to adhere to and perfect the system of regional autonomy of ethnic minorities a comparatively perfect national law and legislation system must be formed as soon as possible. In 2001, he signed president order issuing the new revised "Law on the regional autonomy of ethnic minorities". The law embodies the Party's national policy and the common will of all nationalities. He pointed out enforcement regulations and ordinances will be worked out according to the actual conditions for perfecting the law. According to the spirit, the State Council worked out "Notice on some issues concerning the implementation of the law on the regional autonomy of ethnic minorities of the People's Republic of China" and authorized the State Ethnic Affairs Commission to work out and enact the "administrative working ordinance of ethnic villages" and the "working ordinance of urban nationalities". By the end of 2003, The 155 ethnic minority areas across the country have worked out 133 autonomous ordinances, 384 specific ordinances and 68 limber ordinances. A law system on regional autonomy of ethnic minorities has been formed.

Jiang Zemin pointed out cultivating cadres of ethnic minorities is the key to adhering to and perfecting the system of regional autonomy of ethnic minorities. In the 13 years, the number of ethnic cadres was up to more than 2.8 million from 2 million. The main leaders of the five autonomous regions, 30 autonomous prefectures and 120 autonomous counties are cadres from ethnic minorities. The national solidarity should be maintained in a big way to perfect regional autonomy of ethnic minorities.

Boosting common prosperity and progress of all nationalities

Jiang Zemin pointed out it is a basic demand for the socialist cause of China to speed up the development of all undertakings including economy and culture in the ethnic minority areas and to improve common prosperity and progress of all nationalities. It is also a starting point for the Party's national policies. He stressed there is no national stability if without the stability in the ethnic minority areas. All comrades must pay high attention to the national work.

In the 13 years, a series of strategic decisions were made to speed up the development of ethnic minority areas. In 1992, the central committee convened national working conference and put forward major tasks of national work in 1990s. In 1999 the central committee put forward a western development strategy to promote the development of ethnic areas.

During the 13-year period, the economy in ethnic areas was developed rapidly. Tibet has entered into a new development stage. From 1989 to 2003 the gross product value of Tibet was raised to 18.46 billion yuan from 2.19 billion yuan.

Xinjiang also saw rapid development in economy. From 1989 to 2003 the gross product value reached 187.5 billion yuan from 21.7 billion yuan.

The Inner Mongolian, Guangxi and Ningxia national autonomous regions also made outstanding achievements in the reforms, opening up and the modernization drive. From 1989 to 2003 the gross product value of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region reached 209.3 billion yuan from 29.3 billion yuan, Guangxi 273.3 billion yuan from 38.3 billion yuan, Ningxia 38.5 billion yuan from 5.9 billion yuan.

In the 13 years, brilliant achievements were made in national work, which has laid a solid foundation for the cause of national solidarity and progress. In the new stage of the new century Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Party, pointed out the prosperity and development of all nationalities should be achieved by realizing all the tasks set by the Sixteenth National Congress of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. We firmly believe under the leadership of the central committee with Hu Jintao as the general secretary all the nationalities in China will be able to hold high the banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory and carry out the important thoughts of "Three Represents" so as to push ahead with the cause of the national solidarity and progress continuously.

By People's Daily Online