Ethnic regions see economic growth

Economic growth in regions inhabited by ethnic groups in China has been faster than the rest of the country in the past few years, but poverty alleviation remains a long-term challenge, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The gross domestic product growth rate of the country's five ethnic autonomous regions - Xinjiang Uygur, Tibet, Ningxia Hui, Inner Mongolia and Guangxi Zhuang - and of the three provinces inhabited by many ethnic groups - Yunnan, Guizhou and Qinghai - was above the national average in 2015, which was 6.9 percent.

However, the GDP per capita in these areas is still quite low. Such levels in all these provinces and regions, except Inner Mongolia, is below the national average, according to the 2016 Annual Report on Development of Ethnic Minorities in China by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.