Wen pledges more support for rural areas

KUNMING: Premier Wen Jiabao has pledged that his government will extend further support to poor areas inhabited by ethnic minorities.

"All ethnic groups form one big family. We must be united and help each other, to prosper and progress together," Wen told farmers of the Jingpo minority during a visit to the Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province.

Wen's trip to Yunnan from March 31 to April 1 took place after he attended the third summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion held in Vientiane, capital of Laos. Yunnan has the largest number of ethnic minority groups among all Chinese regions.