CHINA’S POLICY TOWARD ETHNIC GROUPSAND THEIR COMMON PROSPERITY

(Part Five)

　　VII. Fostering Cadres and Talented People of Ethnic Minorities

　　Cadres and talented people of ethnic minorities are their outstanding elements. These people are well acquainted with their ethnic languages, histories, traditions and customs as well as their local political, economic and cultural characteristics. They serve as a bridge between the government and ethnic minorities. The situation of minority cadres and talented people indicates the development level of ethnic minorities. For a long period of time, the state has regarded fostering minority cadres and talented people as a key to promoting the prosperity and development of ethnic minorities, making good progress in minority areas and solving the problems of ethnic minorities. The state has considered this as a matter of long-term and fundamental significance, and has unremittingly taken effective measures to train and select these people.

　　The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China stipulates that the state shall help the ethnic autonomous areas train in large numbers cadres at various levels, specialized personnel and skilled workers of various professions and trades from among the ethnic group or ethnic groups in those areas; and all the ethnic minorities are entitled to appropriate representation in the Standing Committee of the NPC. The Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy stipulates that the heads of all autonomous regions, prefectures and counties shall be citizens of the ethnic group(s) exercising regional autonomy in the areas concerned. The functionaries of the working bodies subsidiary to the organs of self-government shall include an appropriate number of members of the ethnic group(s) exercising regional autonomy as well as members of other ethnic minorities. The Civil Service Law of the People’s Republic of China provides that, when recruiting civil servants in an ethnic autonomous area, the applicants of ethic minorities shall be given appropriate preferential treatment.

　　As soon as the People’s Republic of China was founded, the state called on training a large number of minority cadres. To this end, it established special institutions of higher learning. In the 1950s ten such colleges were set up, including the Central College for Ethnic Minorities, Northwest College for Ethnic Minorities, Southwest College for Ethnic Minorities, South-Central College for Ethnic Minorities and Guangxi College for Ethnic Minorities. Since the introduction of the reform and opening up policy in 1978, the state has established Hubei College for Ethnic Minorities, North University for Ethnic Minorities and Dalian College for Ethnic Minorities. Along with the progress of the times, many of them have developed into universities. Their enrollment has expanded and academic level constantly enhanced. China now has 15 institutions of higher learning for ethnic minorities. Furthermore, the state has training classes and schools for minority cadres, and ethnic-minority classes in ordinary institutions of higher learning, and has made unremitting efforts to enhance the cultivation of minority cadres.

　　The state attaches great importance to recruiting and training minority cadres. These cadres account for a certain percentage in each ethnic autonomous area. A large number of minority cadres are in leading posts at all levels. In open selection and competition for the leading body of a given place or organization, a certain ratio or a certain number of posts are given to minority cadres. When recruiting civil servants, the state appropriately lowers the standard for minority applicants. To ensure that a certain number of minority applicants become civil servants, some preferential treatment is adopted, such as designating certain percentages, targeted recruitment and adding appropriate scores.

　　The state has unremittingly enhanced the education and training of minority cadres. It regularly selects and sends minority cadres to Party schools at all levels and colleges for education, and organizes them to make inspection tours of the developed coastal region in order to keep improving their qualities. Since 2003, the “Western Light” program has been launched by government departments to train visiting scholars. The state has selected 1,416 high-caliber technical personnel from the western region to attend one-year study courses at leading domestic institutions of higher learning, scientific research institutes and medical organizations, aiming to train them to be high-level professionals badly needed in western China. Among them, 553 are from minority areas, accounting for 39.1 percent of the total.

　　In addition, the state organizes the transfer of cadres and encourages them to change to other posts, and selects a large number of minority cadres to take up temporary leading posts in the other parts of the country, in primary-level organizations or in leading organs at the higher levels, thus developing their abilities in actual work. Since 1990, the state has selected cadres from the western region and other minority areas and put them in the CPC and central government organs and comparatively developed regions to take up temporary leading posts. Over the past 20 years, more than 5,000 cadres have had such training. This has helped turn out a large number of Party and government cadres as well as scientific and technical and managerial personnel for the minority areas, greatly promoted the building of leading bodies and the contingent of cadres in the minority areas, and promoted the sound and rapid economic and social development there.

　　Thanks to dozens of years of unremitting efforts, the rank of minority cadres has grown steadily. By 2008, the number of minority cadres had exceeded 2.9 million, registering a 300 percent increase over 1978. Civil servants of ethnic minorities accounted for 9.6 percent of the country’s total. Minority cadres at and above the county level accounted for 7.7 percent of the total of cadres at the same level. Minority cadres also accounted for a fair proportion of cadres in central and local state executive, judicial and procuratorial organs. Two of the 13 vice chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the current NPC are from ethnic minorities; two of the nine vice premiers and state councilors of the State Council are of ethnic-minority origin; and five of the 25 vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the CPPCC are from ethnic minorities.

　　The state attaches great importance to training talented people needed for the modernization drive in minority areas. It calls on institutions of higher learning and secondary vocational schools to appropriately lower the enrollment standards and conditions for applicants of ethnic minorities, and offer special treatment to applicants of ethnic minorities with comparatively small populations. Every year, tens of thousands of minority applicants are admitted into institutions of higher learning. In order to speed up the cultivation of talented people for minority areas, the state holds preparatory and regular classes for students of ethnic minorities in key institutions of higher learning, with an annual enrolment of 30,000 such students. In 1984 the Chinese government decided to run classes or schools for students from Tibet in large and medium-sized cities in other parts of the country including Beijing, Tianjin and Chengdu. Over the past 20 years, more than 70,000 Tibetan students have been enrolled in junior high and senior high schools as well as colleges and universities in these cities. In 2000 the state decided to run senior high school classes for students from Xinjiang in schools in 12 large and medium-sized cities in other parts of the country including Beijing and Shanghai. By the end of 2008, 50 senior high schools had classes for these students. These schools are located in 28 cities of 12 provinces and municipalities directly under the central government. So far, 24,000 students have been enrolled in them. In 2003 the state helped eight cities in Xinjiang, including Urumqi, to hold junior high school classes for children of minority farmers and herdsmen, accounting for over 80 percent of the total students enrolled. The “Program for Training High-Caliber Personnel of Ethnic Minorities” was launched in 2006 to enroll students for Master’s and PhD degrees from minority areas. So far, the annual enrollment of such students has reached 4,700, bringing the total number of such students studying in the institutions of higher learning to 7,900.

　　The state encourages and guides college graduates to work in minority areas. The program “PhD Service Group” was launched in 1999, in which 1,195 outstanding young scientists and technicians with PhD degrees from the central organs of the CPC and the State Council and comparatively developed eastern regions have been sent to the western region, old revolutionary base areas and minority areas to provide human and intellectual assistance. Among them, 403 were sent to western minority areas, accounting for 33.7 percent of the total.

　　Over the past many years, the Chinese government has sent cadres and talented people to minority areas, including Tibet and Xinjiang. These people make arduous efforts and selfless contributions, and are playing an important role in promoting the development of these areas.

　　Conclusion

　　Sixty years of experiences have proved that China’s ethnic policy is correct and effective, is in keeping with the country’s actual conditions and the common interests of all ethnic groups and won their support. Guided by this policy, people of all ethnic groups in China have safeguarded national unification, social stability and ethnic unity, blazing a bright trail to achieve their common prosperity.

　　China is a large developing country with a population of 1.3 billion and 56 ethnic groups. Its special conditions have dictated its unbalanced development. China is currently in the primary stage of socialism, and will remain so for a long time to come. To bring prosperity to its all ethnic groups, China still has a long way to go and make arduous efforts.

　　Under the leadership of the CPC, the people of all ethnic groups hold high the banner of ethnic unity, cherish the hard-earned excellent situation, concentrate on development, and seek to achieve the grant goals of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and promoting the socialist modernization drive. National development and social progress will further improve China’s ethnic policy. And the Chinese nation, including the people of all ethnic groups, will have a brighter future.