How is the Chinese Dream of ethnic unity and progress built?

Photo by Zhang Mu, reporter of our newspaper

Xinhua News Agency reporters Zhang Xiaosong, Cui Qingxin, Huang Xiaoxi

Ideals gather strength, unity creates the future.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary has keenly observed the changing international situation, deeply studied the epochal propositions raised by the development of the Party and the country's undertakings for ethnic work, profoundly considered the fundamental plans for accelerating the development of ethnic minorities and ethnic regions under the new situation, and made a series of major decisions and arrangements, leading the cause of ethnic unity and progress to healthy development.

Steering at the Helm——The new central leadership has pointed out the way forward for doing ethnic work well under the new situation and enriched the contemporary connotation of the correct path of solving ethnic problems with Chinese characteristics

Since the founding of New China, and especially since reform and opening up, this has been the period of the best and fastest development for ethnic minorities and ethnic regions in economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization construction…… Living together in harmony, working together with one heart, and developing in harmony have become the distinctive main tone in the picture of our country's ethnic relations.

In recent years, the domestic and international environment for ethnic work has become increasingly complex. Domestically, with the accelerated advancement of industrialization, urbanization, informatization, and agricultural modernization, and with frequent and in-depth exchanges and communication among ethnic groups, the distribution pattern of ethnic groups has undergone relatively large changes; looking at the world, terrorism, separatism, and extremism are on the rise, and ethnic issues have increasingly become a key issue affecting peace and development……

The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary attaches great importance to ethnic work. From the roof of the world to the Loess Plateau, from the mountain villages of the southwest to both north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, from the northern borderlands to the coconut groves of the South China Sea, since the 18th National Congress of the Party, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee have gone deep into the 8 ethnic provinces and autonomous regions as well as ethnic autonomous counties in some provinces to conduct in-depth surveys of the development of ethnic minorities and ethnic regions; convened 2 meetings of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and 5 meetings of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee to study ethnic work in depth; convened 4 executive meetings of the State Council to make specific arrangements for accelerating the development of ethnic regions; convened the Fourth National Conference on Pairing Assistance to Xinjiang, the Second Central Xinjiang Work Symposium, and the Teleconference on the 20th Anniversary of Pairing Assistance to Tibet; members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee made important instructions and directives nearly 100 times on major issues of all ethnic groups striving together in unity and developing together in prosperity……

Through in-depth investigation and scientific assessment, the navigators of the giant ship “China” have answered a series of major issues currently faced in ethnic work——

The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the fundamental path for solving our country's ethnic problems.

In March of this year, at the joint group meeting of members from the ethnic minority circles at the Second Session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Xi Jinping pointed out that adhering to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the correct political direction that must be firmly grasped in doing ethnic work well under the new situation. It is necessary to fully implement the Party's ethnic policies, uphold and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy, continuously enhance people of all ethnic groups' identification with the great motherland, with the Chinese nation, with Chinese culture, and with the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and better safeguard ethnic unity, social stability, and national unification.

To unswervingly take the correct path of solving ethnic problems with Chinese characteristics is to clearly uphold and improve the Party and the state's basic theories, basic policies, basic laws, basic systems, and institutional mechanisms on ethnic issues, and to unite every ethnic group and every citizen under the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics to strive for the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Accelerating development is the essence of promoting ethnic unity and progress.

In recent years, the achievements in economic and social development in ethnic regions have attracted worldwide attention, and the problems and difficulties faced are also very prominent. Many poverty alleviation targets and minimum living guarantee recipients are in ethnic regions. Ethnic regions remain the focus and difficulty of our country's development and the “short plank” in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

At this year's National Two Sessions, Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: “The core issue in enhancing unity is to actively create conditions and do everything possible to accelerate the economic and social development of ethnic minorities and ethnic regions, and promote the common prosperity and development of all ethnic groups.”

“Accelerating the development of ethnic regions, the core is to accelerate the pace of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects in ethnic regions.” This important thesis put forward by the General Secretary during his survey in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province, in November 2013, pointed out the direction for accelerating the development of ethnic regions.

Unity and stability are an important prerequisite for the common development and progress of the Chinese nation.

In May of this year, the Second Central Xinjiang Work Symposium was held in Beijing, and the General Secretary repeatedly emphasized the importance of ethnic unity:

“Cadres and people of all ethnic groups must cherish ethnic unity as they cherish their own eyes, and treasure ethnic unity as they treasure their own lives.”

“Ethnic unity is the lifeline of people of all ethnic groups…… All ethnic groups must understand each other, respect each other, tolerate each other, appreciate each other, learn from each other, and help each other, and hold closely together like pomegranate seeds.”

In doing ethnic work well, the key lies in the Party and the key lies in the people.

The core leadership role of the Party is where the key lies for us to overcome risks and challenges and continuously win victories; the decisions and arrangements of the Central Committee must be implemented by cadres at all levels before they can be put into practice. However, at present, the building of the Party's grassroots organizations and the ranks of cadres in ethnic regions still cannot fully meet the actual needs of reform, development, and stability.

In April of this year, during his survey in Xinjiang, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to persist in making the training of ethnic minority cadres a top priority in the building of the ranks of cadres, follow the standards of both integrity and ability with integrity first, and persist in selecting outstanding ethnic minority cadres who firmly safeguard national unification, take a firm stand, keep a clear head, and act resolutely on major issues of principle, and bring them to leadership positions at all levels.

These creative new thoughts, new viewpoints, new theses, and new requirements provide fundamental guidance and point out the way forward for doing ethnic work well under the new situation.