Rule of law strengthens foundations for building a community for the Chinese nation

China is seeking to bolster the legal foundation for advancing high-quality development and common prosperity among its 56 ethnic groups, with a draft law on promoting ethnic unity and progress submitted to China's top legislature, the 14th National People's Congress, for deliberation on Thursday.

The country has in recent years continued to advance the rule of law in ethnic affairs governance, strengthening institutional guarantees for ethnic unity and the building of a community for the Chinese nation.

Cultivating people's strong sense of community for the Chinese nation

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, China has consistently emphasized forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation as the guiding principle for ethnic affairs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of ethnic unity on many occasions, stressing many times that all ethnic groups should remain as closely united as the seeds of a pomegranate.

During his trips to southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region in August and northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in September last year, Xi stressed the importance of fostering a strong sense of the Chinese nation as one community. 

In Xinjiang, he urged officials and people of all ethnic groups to develop a correct understanding of the country, history, the nation, culture and religion. In Xizang, he called for further efforts to advance the building of a community for the Chinese nation and to guide Tibetan Buddhism in adapting to socialist society.

At a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in 2023, Xi also called on officials to continuously strengthen and improve the Party's work on ethnic affairs, promote ethnic unity and progress in a down-to-earth manner, and advance the high-quality development of ethnic affairs in the new era.

"Efforts should be made to let the people cultivate the awareness that people from all ethnic groups are in the same community, where they share weal and woe and the same future and stick together through thick and thin, and life and death," Xi noted.

Promoting shared development among all ethnic groups

Another key objective of China's ethnic policy is to promote common development and ensure that the fruits of modernization benefit people of all ethnic groups.

Xi has stressed that development should benefit every ethnic group. "No ethnic group should be left behind in building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects," Xi said at the group study session in 2023.

He urged full realization of common prosperity and development of all ethnic groups so as to ensure that people of all ethnic groups can share the glory of building China into a great country and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

From southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region to northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, ethnic minority regions have seen continuous improvements in economic development, infrastructure, industry and public services in recent years.

For example, industrial production and investment in Xinjiang experienced rapid growth in 2025, outpacing the national level, official data showed. 

According to the regional bureau of statistics, Xinjiang's GDP reached 2.15 trillion yuan ($311 billion) in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 5.5%. Industrial added value from enterprises above the designated size rose by 7.7%, while fixed-asset investment grew by 7.2%.

In Yunnan, a province with a significant ethnic minority population, tourism has become a major engine of growth. Official data showed that, in 2025, Yunnan received 782 million tourist visits and generated 1.27 trillion yuan in tourism revenue, representing year-on-year increases of 11.8% and 11.5%, respectively, which has played a key role in promoting rural revitalization and boosting employment in the ethnic minority communities.