More than 3 million People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers have been mobilized over the past five years to build 680 infrastructure projects, according to a senior PLA officer yesterday.

Also on the agenda has been increasing awareness amongst soldiers and officers of the country's ethnic minorities and religious practices, said Chang Shengrong, major general of the General Political Department of the PLA.

Ethnic minority and religious leaders have been invited to give lectures, while PLA soldiers are encouraged to study minority languages and get to know their customs and religious beliefs, according to Chang.

"As the majority of the Chinese army is garrisoned in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, relations between the PLA and local minorities are very important for the country's ethnic unity," he said.

The PLA has to date printed more than 600,000 pamphlets and filmed 100 programs to help soldiers learn more about ethnic affairs and better handle relations with local minorities, according to Chang.

China is home to 55 ethnic minorities, which amount to a population of more than 100 million. They mainly live in the western part of the country and frontier areas.

"On the one hand, the PLA can not do its work well without the help of local people, and on the other hand, local development in many ethnic minority areas also benefits from help offered by the PLA," said Chang, who is in charge of the army's civilian relations.

In the past five years, the PLA has focused more and more on developing the economies of minority areas, especially through bettering infrastructure, a major bottleneck for local development.

The construction and expansion of seven airports - including Gonggar Airport in Tibet, Hotan Airport in Xinjiang, Dunhuang Airport in Gansu and Jiuzhaigou Airport in Sichuan - were all completed by PLA soldiers, according to Chang.

The PLA's contribution to infrastructure in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities has undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for local economic development, he said.

He said the army has also played an active role in humanitarian relief work in minority regions, where conditions are often harsh and natural disasters frequent.

PLA troops have taken part in more than 500 relief programs in the past five years, arriving on site after the earthquakes in Bachu, Jiashi and Zhaosu counties in Xinjiang, and the mudslides in Dehong in Yunnan Province and Yigong in Tibet.

PLA soldiers have rescued at least 600,000 people, at the cost of more than 30 soldiers, said Chang.

He said last but not least, the PLA had "created a stable social environment in ethnic minority regions."

From last year, Lanzhou Military Command and armed police in Xinjiang have held joint military exercises with the armies of neighboring countries, with the aim of polishing their terrorism response mechanisms.

"Military exercises have effectively prevented terrorist forces from disturbing social order and maintained safety and stability in frontier regions," said the major general.

The State Council held the Fourth National Awards Ceremony for Ethnic Unity and Progress on Friday in Beijing. A total of 31 military units as well as 31 PLA soldiers were awarded by the cabinet.

(China Daily May 30, 2005)