China is a country that has a large number of minorities, who live in specific regions which
are mainly located in Middle and West China. They are abundant in natural resources and are
of general importance for China in strategic and ecological terms. Minorities live in relatively
compact communities. Here the development in infrastructure as well as social and economic
development (e.g. export-oriented economy) has been and is still slow, which has resulted in
underdevelopment. To accelerate the development of these regions, priority has to be given to
narrow the gap of social development, to protect the natural environment and to strengthen
the facilities of infrastructure. In order to avoid conflicts in the future, specific policies in
minority regions are needed.