Jia Qinglin, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, on Wednesday highlighted the importance of unity between the Han, China's majority ethnic group, and the country's ethnic minorities, and called for prosperity and progress for all Chinese people.
Unity among people of all ethnic groups is a fundamental guarantee of success for the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, Jia said.
Jia made the remarks during a visit to Niujie Street, a predominantly Hui ethnic minority neighborhood. Jia, who served as a senior municipal official in Beijing for several years, had visited the area nine times.
During his tour Wednesday, Jia visited local shops and residents' homes and heard a report from city leaders.
Jia said he agreed with CPC General Secretary Hu Jintao, who, while making an inspection tour around Beijing a few days ago, said that the capital should take the lead in the development of all fields and in the ongoing modernization drive.
(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2003)
