China's government is to emphasize research into ethnic issues more strongly in order to better solve minority disputes.

Wang Xi'en, a researcher at Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Friday in future research would be carried out to resolve problems of uneven development in regions inhabited by minority groups.

"The gap in economic and social development between China's developed and minority regions is one of the major reasons for ethnic disputes," Wang said.

"Some poor ethnic people, disaffected by the rich or government, are easily incited by ethnic separatists to join conflicts that disturb the social order and harm innocent people," he said.

In addition to this particular issue, researchers are also to focus on topics such as new ethnic problems that have emerged during the general nationwide trend toward urbanization, ways to better employ the national regional autonomy policy and new thinking on ethnic problems with an international angle, Wang said.

On July 28, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission (SEAC), China's main authority to deal with ethnic issues, made public a research plan on major ethnic issues, involving politics, economics and culture.

Of 54 research topics, many concern the issue of ethnic groups' economic development, such as research into solving the problem of poverty in minority regions, promoting business in border areas inhabited by ethnic groups and counteracting the negative effects of the economic downturn, the SEAC said.

Its research program outline also includes discussion on the improvement of the national autonomous regional system, and taking measures to promote minority groups' educational and cultural development.

Other topics include discussion on ethnic dissension caused by religious differences, and on measures for preventing natural disasters in ethnic areas.

The SEAC said the research would be conducted by local bureaus as well as institutes and universities nationwide.

Each research program will be provided with funding between 10,000 and 30,000 yuan (US$1.463 to 4.391).

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2009)