More than 70 percent of books and audiovisual products published in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region use minority languages, said a white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council here Monday.

According to the paper, titled "Development and Progress in Xinjiang", the state adheres to the principle that the spoken and written languages of all peoples are equal, and opposes linguistic privilege in any form.

"The government organs of the autonomous region, prefectures and counties, in handling public affairs, use the language of the ethnic group exercising autonomy in that particular area as well as the Chinese language," the paper said.

"Spoken and written languages of the minority peoples are widely used in news, publishing, radio, movies, and television programs," it said.

For instance, the Xinjiang Daily newspaper is printed in Uygur, Han, Kazak and Mongolian languages, while the Xinjiang Television Station broadcasts its programs in the same four languages. The Xinjiang People's Publishing House uses the above four languages plus the Kirgiz and Xibe languages for its publications, according to the paper.

The paper said, respecting ethnic minorities' folkways and customs is an important aspect of ensuring equal rights for all peoples.

State and local governments in Xinjiang have formulated a number of policies and regulations to show respect for and protect the customs of minority peoples in terms of food, attire, festivals, marriage and funerals, while acknowledging that all peoples have the freedom to maintain or reform their own folkways and customs, it said.

"In Xinjiang, on the Ramadan and Kurban festivals, all Muslim communities may enjoy statutory holidays, while those of Russian background may observe their own statutory holidays such as Christmas and Easter," the paper said.

Source: Xinhua