Premier Wen Jiabao has called for accelerating the development of minority ethnic groups and their inhabited areas in the coming period, by implementing a scientific concept of development and adopting special policies and measures.

Wen, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, remarked this at the closing meeting of the central conference on the work of ethnic affairs.

The meeting was presided over by Jia Qinglin, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

China is a unitary nation with many ethnic groups, while equality is the base for the country's socialist ethnic relations featuring equality, unity and mutual support, said the premier, stressing that only a complete ethnic equality can ensure a long- term stability and development of the country.

The premier said the establishment of socialist system has laid a political and legal foundation for ethnic equality and opened up the road for the development of minority people and a common prosperity of all ethnic groups.

Since China launched its reform and opening up drive, minority ethnic groups' inhabited areas have witnessed a remarkably quicker economic and social development and minority people have their living standards improved remarkably. However, owing to historic and natural factors, some of the areas still lag behind in economic and social development and there is quite a big gap of development among different ethnic groups and different minority areas.

Wen emphasized that in the final analysis, the resolving of difficulties and problems in minority areas and the minimizing of the gap between minority areas and other regions rely on the development of economy.

He pledged that the central government will help the minority ethnic groups' inhabited areas to build more infrastructure like road, telecommunications and power supply, accelerate the development of animal husbandry, tourism and mining industry in the areas, and open up wider to the outside world. He also pledged to help protect ecoenvironment, while increasing efforts in poverty eradication in these areas, he noted.

Moreover, the central government will help the areas in the development of education, public health, culture, and science and technology, he said.

Before the conference came to an end, Jia made a sum-up of the whole meeting, urging the localities and departments concerned to seriously study and implement the documents of the conference.

Present at the closing were Wang Lequan, Hui Liangyu, Liu Yunshan, He Guoqiang, Wang Gang, Ismail Amat, Hua Jianmin, and Abdul'ahat Abdulrixit.

Source: Xinhua