Accelerating growth urged in autonomous ethnic areas

Accelerating growth urged in autonomous ethnic areas Updated: 2013-07-02 CHONGQING -- Chinese officials have called for fostering new sources of growth in ethnic areas to bridge the development gap between such areas and the economically more developed regions. The official appeal came at a national symposium on the development of ethnic autonomous areas in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, where officials from several autonomous ethnic counties on Monday urged the improvement of infrastructure facilities and people's livelihood in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. China has 120 ethnic autonomous counties, accounting for 11 percent of the total area inhabited by ethnic groups, according to the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. The combined population of the ethnic autonomous counties account for 21 percent of the total ethnic minority population, but their per capita GDP is less than half the national average, according to the commission.