China stresses ethnic integration in cities

BEIJING - Ethnic minorities moving into cities should be better accepted and integrated into urban communities, a panel of China's top leadership concluded.

Cities should neither close doors to the inflow of ethnic minorities nor adopt a laissez-faire attitude, said a statement issued after the central work conference on ethnic affairs held in Beijing from Sunday to Monday.

The conference was attended by President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and other leaders.

The leadership urged an integrated social structure and community environment where people are not grouped based on ethnicity.

Legitimate rights and interests of people from all ethnic groups should be guaranteed. Discrimination, overt or covert, against ethnic minorities must be rectified and stopped, according to the statement.

Ethnic minorities moving to cities should be told to abide by laws and regulations so they can be better integrated into urban life, according to the statement.