According to the press conference held on March 27, Shandong has been striving to deepen paired assistance and collaboration between the eastern and western regions. In 2022, the province has input 4.48 billion yuan of assistance capital in the industrial development, improvement of people’s welfare, intellectual support, labor-service cooperation, exchange and communication, and created employment opportunities for more than 30,000 people in the ethnic regions, significantly improving their income level and contributing Shandong strength to the common socialist modernization of all ethnic groups.

Cao Jinping, director of Shandong Provincial Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee, said that Shandong has taken solid steps to promote the common prosperity. Shandong took the lead in building model ethnic villages for rural revitalization. Its 35 model villages have been examples of all ethnic groups working together for integrated development. At the same time, the province has provided assistance to 20 paired integrated cluster demonstration areas, supported ethnic towns and villages to build 5 industrialized brand clusters, carried out pilot rural actions of “getting rich both materially and spiritually”, advocated healthy and civilized ideas, spiritual life and lifestyles, and constantly improved social security systems such as medical, health and elderly care, so that people of all ethnic groups can share the fruits of modernization reform and development.