(TibetanReview.net, Jan14, 2015) – All the seven prefecture-level cities in the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China had started organizing Tibetan language training for their Chinese cadres, reported China’s official Xinhua news agency Jan 12, citing the regional bureau of compilation and translation. This followed a policy document issued by China on Dec 22, 2014, calling on ethnic minority officials to master Mandarin Chinese, while also urging Han officials, the dominant ethnic group in the People’s Republic of China, to learn the local dialects of the areas where they work.

Earlier, in Sep 2014, President Xi Jinping had stressed at a conference on ethnic work that in ethnic regions, ethnic minority cadres should learn Mandarin, and Han cadres should also learn ethnic languages. The language skill should become a “requirement” for cadres, the Xinhua report cited Xi as having said. “One cannot serve the local people well if one cannot speak the local language.”

The report cited Qoizha, deputy director of the bureau, as saying his office had handed out 40,000 books on basic Tibetan language for daily conversation.

The report said that since 1994, a total of close to 6,000 cadres and technical professionals had been sent in seven batches from 18 provincial regions of China to work in the 74 counties and cities in the TAR.

Earlier, Xinhua Dec 22 quoted the new policy guideline – “Opinions on Strengthening and Improving Ethnic Work in New Situations” – as saying, “China is a country built by all ethnic groups of the nation; Chinese culture is made up of the culture of all 56 ethnic groups; Chinese civilization is created by all ethnic groups; and the Chinese nation is a community of all ethnic groups.”

By Blogsdna