Unity brings prosperity

Xi stressed that guiding all ethnic groups to jointly strive for fully building a modern socialist country must be taken as a crucial task of the CPC's ethnic work in the new era.

China in February announced that it has eradicated absolute poverty. Continuous efforts are being made to enhance the sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security among people of various ethnic groups.

Shi Yongjun, a government official in the Tibet autonomous region, learned from his work experience that the focus of forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation could start from further improving people's livelihoods.

The case of Tibet is a prime example of how national unity has boosted local development. Home to 45 ethnic groups including Tibetan, Hui and Menba, the region has witnessed huge changes over the past 70 years since its peaceful liberation.

The regional GDP ballooned from 129 million yuan (about $19.9 million) in 1951 to 190 billion yuan in 2020; all registered poor residents and counties had shaken off poverty by the end of 2019, meaning that the region escaped absolute poverty for the first time in history.

"Tibet could never have attained such achievements without ethnic unity," Losang Jamcan, director of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress, once said. "Tibet's development over the past 70 years has offered convincing evidence that solidarity and stability bring prosperity."