Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Amending the Law of the People's Republic of China on Regional National Autonomy
Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Amending the Law of the People's Republic of China on Regional National Autonomy
Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Amending the Law of the People's Republic of China on Regional National Autonomy
Order of the President [2001] No.46
February 28, 2001
Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Amending the Law of the People's Republic of China on Regional National Autonomy was adopted at the 20th Session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress on February 28, 2001, and is hereby promulgated and comes into effect as of the date of promulgation.
Jiang Zeming, President of the People's Republic of China
Attachment: The 20th Session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress has decided to make the following revisions to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Regional Ethnic Autonomy:
I. The first paragraph of the preface shall be revised as: "The People's Republic of China is a unitary multinational state created jointly by the people of all its nationalities. Regional national autonomy is the basic policy adopted by the Communist Party of China for the solution of the national question in China through its application of Marxism-Leninism; it is a basic political system of the State."
The third paragraph shall be revised as: "Regional national autonomy has played an enormous role in giving full play to the initiative of all nationalities as masters of the country, in developing among them a socialist relationship of equality, unity and mutual assistance, in consolidating the unification of the country and in promoting socialist construction in the national autonomous areas and the rest of the country. The system of regional national autonomy shall be adhered to and perfected continuously so that it will play a greater role in the country's socialist modernization drive in the years to come."
The fifth paragraph shall be revised as: "Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory, the people of various nationalities in the autonomous areas shall, together with the people of the whole country, adhere to the people's democratic dictatorship and to the policy of reform and opening to the outside world, march along the road of constructing socialism with Chinese characteristics, concentrate their efforts on socialist modernization, develop socialist market economy, strengthen the buildup of socialist democracy and legal system, foster the buildup of socialist spiritual civilization, speed up the economic and cultural development of the national autonomous areas, work towards their unity and prosperity and strive for the common prosperity of all nationalities and for the transformation of China into a prosperous, powerful, democratic and culturally advanced socialist country."
II. The second paragraph of Article 14 shall be revised as: "Once established, the national autonomous area may not be cancelled or merged without legal procedures; once defined, the boundaries of a national autonomous area may not be altered without legal proceedings. Where cancellation, merger or alteration is really required, it shall be proposed by the relevant department of the state organ at the higher level after full consultation with the organ of self-government of the national autonomous area before it is submitted for approval according to legal proceedings."
III. The first paragraph of Article 17 shall be revised as: "The chairman of an autonomous region, the prefect of an autonomous prefecture or the head of an autonomous county shall be a citizen of the nationality exercising regional autonomy in the area concerned. Other posts in the people's government of an autonomous region, an autonomous prefecture or an autonomous county shall rationally be assumed by people of the nationality exercising regional autonomy and of other minority nationalities in the area concerned."
IV. Article 18 shall be revised as: "The cadres in the departments under the organs of self-government of a national autonomous area shall rationally be chosen from citizens of the nationality exercising regional autonomy and of the other minority nationalities in the area."
V. Article 19 shall be revised as: "The people's congresses of national autonomous areas shall have the power to enact regulations on the exercise of autonomy and separate regulations in the light of the political, economic and cultural characteristics of the nationality or nationalities in the areas concerned. The regulations on the exercise of autonomy and separate regulations of autonomous regions shall be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for approval before they go into effect. The regulations on the exercise of autonomy and separate regulations of autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties shall be submitted to the standing committees of the people's congresses of provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the Central Government for approval before they go into effect, and they shall be reported to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for the record." And "municipalities directly under the Central Government" shall be added after "autonomous regions" in Article 16, Articles 34 and 35.
VI.
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