Top leader Jia Qinglin said Tuesday that the protection and development of Tibetan and other ethnic cultures is a long-term historic task that needs the attention of both government and non-government organizations.

Jia, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks while meeting with delegates attending the Forum on Tibetan Culture in Beijing.

The government has always attached great importance to protecting and developing ethnic culture and making it an important part of the country's policies for ethnic minorities, said Jia.

Since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, China has taken legislative, judicial and administrative means to ensure that ethnic people would use and develop their own spoken and written languages, maintain and reform their own customs and habits, and enjoy the freedom of religious belief, Jia said.

He stressed that the protection and development of ethnic culture is "a long-term historic task", calling for government's attention and support and the active participation by people of all circles, as well as international exchanges and cooperation.

In related developments, an exhibition on the Tibetan culture was opened at the Capital Museum in central Beijing, with over 200 exhibits and over 100 pictures on show. It lasts through to October 22.

(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2006)