Full coverage: 2017 NPC & CPPCC Sessions

By Han Xu, director of political system research office, Institute of Political Science, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, cartoon drawing by Liao Tingting.

On March 10, Chinese President Xi Jinping joined a panel discussion with lawmakers from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during the annual session of the National People's Congress, the top legislature in Beijing.

Xi said China has many ethnic groups, and summoned to implement the Party's policy for ethnic groups, hold high the banner of ethnic groups unity and guide all ethnic groups to enhance their sense of identity with the motherland, Chinese nation, Chinese culture, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and socialism with Chinese characteristics. Safeguarding ethnic unity is just the same as protecting their eyes. National unity must be cherished as their lives.

According to the website of the autonomous region's government, Xinjiang covers an area of 1.66 million square kilometers. It has about 23 million people, about 63 percent of whom are from ethnic groups other than Han.

Xi attaches much importance to national unity, and has conducted many investigative trips to ethnic areas. During the two sessions, Xi also listens to the advice of lawmakers and political advisers from ethnic minority, and shows great concern for ethnic group work and promoting national unity.

Xi said the relationship between various ethnic groups resembles pomegranate seeds assembling tightly together. Full implementation of targeted poverty alleviation Xi mentioned reflects he always keeps the lives of all ethnic groups in his mind.

National unity is the lifeline of all people and common will of the 1.3 billion Chinese people. Through implementing the party's ethnic group policy into the fields of economic development, improving people's livelihood, poverty alleviation, and safeguard social harmony and stability, the national unity flowers would bloom and flourish.

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