Ethnic groups integral to prosperous society, Xi says

Chinese President Xi Jinping encouraged one of China's smallest ethnic minorities to facilitate economic and social development when meeting members of the group during a three-day inspection tour in Yunnan Province that wrapped up Wednesday.

Xi met with officials and residents of the Drung-Nu Autonomous County of Gongshan on Tuesday in Kunming, the provincial capital.

"No ethnic group will be left behind in the drive to fulfill the 'building of a moderately prosperous society' in all respects by 2020," said Xi.

SIZE IS NOT IMPORTANT

There are around 6,900 people that identify themselves as Drung across China, with the majority of the ethnic group living in a small township in the autonomous county.

Despite the group's size, the president stressed that "it is equal with other ethnic groups in China".

Before New China was founded in 1949, it took residents two weeks to finish a roundtrip to the seat of the county.

After 1949, a rough route was established to link the township with the seat of the county. By 1999, the township was connected to the seat of the county by a paved road that shortened a oneway trip to about 7 hours.

In April 2014, a tunnel was finished that shortened the route to just three hours. Resident's living standards have improved along side infrastructure development, with annual per capita disposable income now surpassing 2,000 yuan (about 321 US dollars).