Strengthen people’s sense of national identification

Over time, the different ethnic groups in China gradually evolved and merged into the Chinese nation. During the process of China forming as a nation-state, the different ethnic groups not only established different degrees of identification with the nation, they also maintained a sense of their own ethnic identities to different degrees.

In general, the more open an ethnic group is, the weaker the identification with that ethnic group. For some ethnic groups, their sense of ethnic identity has grown, but at the expense of their identification with the nation.

The unity of the nation relies on all ethnic groups in the country identifying with the Chinese nation, their interest being in the nation as whole, as well as correct policymaking by the authorities.

China needs to enhance the sense of identification with the nation, and upgrade it to one of the country’s core values. Meanwhile, the integration of the different ethnic groups needs to be promoted, rather than barriers being put in place that hinder integration. And even more urgently, State governance of the border regions needs to be improved and shifted from ethnic-oriented to regional-oriented governance.

Zhou Ping, a professor of political science and researcher at the Southwestern Minority Ethnic Research Center at Yunnan University