Should the central government reconsider its policy in ethnic minority areas?
Jiang: Ethnic issues are complicated and tricky. If the central government doesn’t change its existing thinking to address urgent conflicts, problems may accumulate and threaten overall stability and fast economic growth. First, emphasis should be laid on economic construction, especially economic support for border regions inhabited by ethnic minority groups, when cracking down on terrorists. The level of economic development in most ethnic minority areas is approximate to that of the inland in 1980s. In the rural areas of Kashgar, the annual income of some people is lower than 1,000 yuan ($146.40). Terrorist groups hire some poor Uygurs as mercenaries. The central government should stress both material and cultural input. It should emphasize the overall economic and social development, rather than merely focusing on a few development projects. Public services, such as healthcare and social insurance, should be further improved in ethnic minority areas. Second, always distinguish thos
