CRI听力:China Steps Up Efforts to Promote Minority Development

The Chinese government has laid out a new set of plans to try to improve development prospects among this country's ethnic minorities.

Among the plans are a promise of more support for the 28 ethnic minorities in China whose total population is below 300-thousand.

Luo Liming is the vice director of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission.

"The past ten years has seen the most rapid development of ethnic minorities. And great changes have taken place in ethnic minority regions. But there is still a development gap between ethnic minority regions and developed regions. So central government is stepping up efforts to promote their development. The three special plans released today are among the efforts."

The central government has already set aside 5 billion over the last 10-years to help support ethnic minority populations.

China is officially home to 56 ethnic groups.

Many of the smaller ethnic minority groups are found in relatively under-developed regions in western and southern China.