CPPCC leader highlights importance of national unity

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Chinese media) -- Jia Qinglin, chairman of

the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

(CPPCC), stressed the importance of strengthening national unity under the new

situation Wednesday at a national conference on ethnic work.

Jia urged participants to seriously study and

implement the recent instructions of Hu Jintao, state president and general

secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

"Firmly hold to the main theme of a common unity and

progress for all ethnic groups and closely center on task of promoting national

unity and achieving a common progress for all ethnic groups," said the CPPCC

chairman, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central

Committee Political Bureau.

In his speech, the top political advisor called for

persisting in upholding socialism with China's own characteristics and firmly

taking the road toward resolving ethnic problems with China's own

characteristics; persisting in implementing a scientific concept of development

and making efforts to promote a sound and fast economic and social development

for ethnic groups and minority areas; persisting in and perfecting ethnic

regional autonomy and make substantial efforts to protect the legal rights of

ethnic minorities; and persisting in the fundamental demand for promoting social

harmony and ceaselessly consolidating and developing an equal, united,

mutually-supporting, and harmonious socialist national relations.

Strengthening national unity depends on the

strengthening and improving of the Party leadership on the ethnic work, Jia

stressed.

Vice Premier Hui Liangyu also addressed the

conference. Different areas and departments should unify their thinking and

action to Hu's instructions as well as the major decisions and arrangements made

by the Central Authorities, said the official, who is a member of the Political

Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

The meeting was presided over by Du Qinglin, vice

chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and director of the United Front

Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Present at the meeting were heads of provincial level

United Front departments and ethnic work commissions from across the country.