China publishes print-run of 64.44 mln books in minority languages in 2008: white paper

　　BEIJING, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- In 2008, a total of 5,561 titles of books in China‘s minority languages were published, with a total print-run of 64.44 million, 6.41 times and 6.37 times the figures in 1978 respectively, said a white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council Sunday.

　　According to the paper, titled "China‘s Ethnic Policy and Common Prosperity and Development of All Ethnic Groups", the publishing houses specializing in publishing for the ethnic minorities have increased from 17 in 1978 to 38, located in Beijing and 13 other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government, and the number of minority languages they use has grown from five to 26.

　　There are approximately 60 million minority people in China who regularly use their own spoken languages, accounting for over 60 percent of the total population of the ethnic minorities, and about 30 million minority people who regularly use their own scripts, the paper said.

　　The autonomous regions of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet have stipulated and enforced relevant regulations and detailed implementation rules concerning the use and development of their own spoken and written languages, it said.

　　Additionally, there are 154 radio and television stations using the languages of the ethnic minorities in ethnic autonomous areas, and the Central People‘s Broadcasting Station and local broadcasting stations broadcast in 21 minority languages every day, according to the paper.