Positive Examples and Good Practices and Approaches
for Creating an Equitable and Inclusive Society
China Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences
YILIXINNA
Distinguished Mr. Chairman,
Protecting and inheriting the spoken and written languages of ethnic groups is an
essential part of creating an equitable and inclusive society. However, the policies
regarding the spoken and written languages of ethnic groups vary greatly from
country to country. Since its founding, the United States has predominantly pursued
an "assimilation" approach to the language education of Native Americans, vigorously
promoting “English-only education” while opposing bilingual education. By contrast,
since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese government has
attached great importance to the protection and inheritance of the languages and
cultures of ethnic groups. According to the Constitution of the People's Republic of
China and the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and
Written Chinese Language, all ethnic groups shall have the freedom to use and
develop their own spoken and written languages. Chinese RMB banknotes have five
languages on them, namely Chinese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Mongolian and Zhuang.
In my hometown Xinjiang, for example, the Xinjiang People's Broadcasting
Station currently broadcasts 12 programs in five languages, namely Chinese, Uyghur,
Kazakh, Mongolian, and Kyrgyz. Elementary and middle schools in Xinjiang offer a
wide range of courses in minority languages including Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz,
Mongolian, and Xibe. Walking on the streets of Xinjiang, you can find Uyghur
signage in various public areas, such as stores, healthcare facilities, and transportation
facilities. As a Uyghur who grew up in Beijing, I can still fluently communicate in
Uyghur. This also reflects the state's commitment to safeguarding the rights of all
ethnic groups to use and develop their own spoken and written languages.
Language is the bridge of communication. China encourages minority
communities to learn the national standard spoken and written language. This does
not conflict with safeguarding the rights of all ethnic groups to use their own