A symposium was held in Beijing on Thursday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the promulgation and enforcement of the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy.
Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, attended the symposium.
The law was adopted at the second session of the 6th NPC in May 1984 and came into effect on October 1 of the same year.
Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, stressed at the symposium the need to focus on forging a strong sense of community of the Chinese nation, take the correct and distinctively Chinese approach to handling ethnic affairs, uphold and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and implement the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy in keeping with the times so as to provide a solid guarantee for building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization.
It is necessary to uphold the overall leadership of the Party and the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, maintain national unity and ethnic solidarity, consolidate a shared sense of belonging for the Chinese nation and handle ethnic affairs in accordance with the law, he said.
40th anniversary of Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy commemorated
China and Tajikistan enjoy close cultural and people-to-people exchanges that are actively advancing through joint educational initiatives, said Jamshed Jurazoda, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Tajikistan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Tajikistan from Thursday to Saturday.
During his talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Xi said the two countries should expand people-to-people and cultural cooperation in youth exchanges, media, think tanks, women's affairs and tourism.
According to Jurazoda, cooperation is being driven further as young citizens of the Central Asian country learn to speak Chinese.
"Today, these relations are expanding in several areas. One of the areas is the establishment of various centers, including the Confucius Institute, which today plays a significant role in promoting the Chinese language among the people of Tajikistan, showcasing and introducing Chinese culture and facilitating student and teacher exchanges between the two countries," he said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Tajikistan's capital of Duschanbe.
"One of the important areas of cooperation is the exchange of students, which takes place within the framework of various programs and projects. Today, more than 3,000 students are studying in the People's Republic of China in various fields,” he added.
The minister also highlighted a vocational education program that derives its name from legendary Chinese carpenter and architect Lu Ban, now with a branch in a school named for a renowned Tajik philosopher.
"One example of good cooperation is the establishment of the Luban Workshop at the Technical University of Tajikistan named after Muhammad Osimi in 2022. This allows students to become acquainted with advanced Chinese technology and, of course, to grow into skilled professionals in the field of technology," said the deputy minister.
Educational cooperation abounds between China, Tajikistan: vice minister
