BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese legislator Friday called on people from various ethnic groups to promote national unity and further develop ethnic minority regions.
Ismail Tiliwaldi, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, made the remarks at a tea party.
More than 1,000 people of different ethnic groups attended the tea party to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year.
Ismail Tiliwaldi said the Communist Party of China and the central government held several important meetings in 2010 to plan for "leap-frog" development in ethnic regions including Tibet and Xinjiang.
He said China will firmly maintain national unity and social stability, to ensure a harmonious society.
"We will further improve the law system with characteristics of China's ethnic minority groups to guarantee their interests," he said.