多元中的团结：中国经验对巴基斯坦的启示
(下边有中文翻译，请继续看到底。 谢谢。）
A recent interview with the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan offers a timely reflection on one of the most important challenges facing every diverse society: how to preserve cultural differences while building a strong sense of common belonging. China’s experience is particularly relevant because it is home to 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, including the Han majority and 55 ethnic-minority groups. Its approach combines equality, regional autonomy, cultural protection, economic development and national integration.
China’s Constitution provides that all ethnic groups are equal and that ethnic-minority areas should receive assistance in accelerating economic and cultural development. It also recognizes the freedom of ethnic groups to use and develop their own spoken and written languages and to preserve or reform their traditions and customs.
One important pillar is regional ethnic autonomy. China has established autonomous regions, prefectures and counties in areas with substantial ethnic-minority populations. These institutions have responsibilities for local economic, educational, cultural and administrative affairs within the national constitutional framework. The system is intended to combine national unity with consideration of local circumstances.
Economic development is another major component. China’s policy has increasingly linked ethnic unity with shared prosperity. The government provides infrastructure, education, healthcare, employment support and targeted assistance to less-developed ethnic-minority regions. During China’s poverty-alleviation campaign, all 420 poverty-stricken counties in ethnic autonomous areas were reported to have eliminated absolute poverty by 2021. The combined GDP of the five autonomous regions also grew significantly between 2020 and 2024.
Education and language policy are equally important. China promotes a common national language to facilitate communication and mobility while its legal framework provides protection for ethnic languages. The government also supports education, cultural institutions, publications, traditional arts and the preservation of historical heritage in ethnic-minority areas.
In 2026, China further strengthened this framework through the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, which took effect on July 1. The law emphasizes equality, protection against ethnic discrimination, interaction and exchange among communities, regional development and common prosperity. It also explicitly combines respect for differences with efforts to strengthen a shared national identity.
There are, of course, important differences between China and Pakistan, so China’s model cannot simply be copied. Pakistan has its own constitutional structure, political traditions and social realities. Yet the underlying principle of unity without requiring cultural uniformity has wider relevance.
Pakistan is itself a remarkably diverse country. The 2023 census records Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki, Urdu, Balochi, Hindko, Brahui, Shina, Balti, Kalasha, Kohistani and other linguistic communities. This diversity should be treated as a national asset rather than a source of division.
Pakistan could draw several practical lessons. First, equal citizenship must remain the foundation. Every province, language community and cultural group should feel that national institutions serve them fairly. Pakistan’s Constitution already establishes equality before the law and provides for the protection of citizens’ rights.
Second, development should be more closely connected with national cohesion. Roads, schools, universities, hospitals, digital connectivity and employment opportunities in less-developed regions are not merely economic investments; they can also strengthen confidence in the federation.
Third, Pakistan could expand cultural and linguistic exchange between provinces. Student exchanges, interprovincial scholarships, national cultural festivals, language-learning programmes and joint youth initiatives could help young Pakistanis understand communities beyond their own regions.
Fourth, political dialogue should become a permanent mechanism for managing differences. Federal and provincial governments, political parties, religious scholars, academics, business communities, civil society and representatives of smaller ethnic and linguistic communities should have institutional channels for consultation.
Finally, national unity should not mean suppressing legitimate cultural identities. A stronger Pakistan can be built by allowing citizens to be simultaneously proud of their language, province, culture and local heritage while sharing an equally strong commitment to Pakistan.
The central lesson from China’s experience is therefore not uniformity, but the attempt to connect equality, cultural recognition, development and a shared national purpose. For Pakistan, the objective should similarly be a society in which diversity strengthens the federation rather than fragments it. In a country of many languages, cultures and regional identities, national unity is most durable when citizens believe that their differences are respected and their future is shared.
多元中的团结：中国经验对巴基斯坦的启示
最近对巴基斯坦驻华大使的一次采访，恰逢其时地探讨了一个多元社会面临的最重要挑战之一：在建立强烈共同归属感的同时，如何保护文化差异。中国的经验尤为具有代表性，因为中国拥有56个官方承认的民族，包括占多数的汉族以及55个少数民族。中国的做法融合了平等、区域自治、文化保护、经济发展和国家统一。
根据中国宪法，所有民族一律平等，少数民族地区应获得支持，以加快经济和文化发展。宪法还保障各民族使用和发展自己语言文字的权利，并有权保护或改革自己的传统习俗。
其中一个重要支柱是区域民族自治。中国已在人口中少数民族数量较多的地区设立自治区、 prefectures（省）和 counties（县）。这些机构在国家宪法框架内，负责地方的经济、教育、文化和行政事务。该体系旨在将国家统一与地方实际情况相结合。
经济发展是另一个重要组成部分。中国政策日益将民族团结与共同繁荣联系起来。政府为欠发达的少数民族地区提供基础设施、教育、医疗、就业支持以及有针对性的帮助。在脱贫攻坚行动期间，据报告，到2021年，全国420个少数民族自治地区的贫困县已全部实现绝对脱贫。2020年至2024年间，五个自治区的GDP总和也实现了显著增长。
教育和语言政策同样重要。中国推广通用的国家语言，以促进交流与流动，同时法律框架保障各民族语言的权益。政府还支持少数民族地区的教育、文化机构、出版物、传统艺术以及历史文化遗产的保护工作。
2026年，中国进一步加强了这一制度，通过《民族团结进步促进法》实施，该法于7月1日起生效。法律强调平等，防止民族歧视，促进各社区之间的互动与交流，推动区域发展和共同繁荣。同时，它明确将尊重差异与加强共同国家认同的努力相结合。
当然，中国与巴基斯坦之间存在重要差异，因此中国的模式不能简单照搬。巴基斯坦拥有自身的宪法结构、政治传统和社会现实。然而，以团结为基础、不强制要求文化同质化的理念具有更广泛的意义。
巴基斯坦本身是一个极为多元的国家。2023年的人口普查记录了旁遮普语、普什图语、信德语、萨拉语、乌尔都语、俾路支语、印地语、布拉胡语、希纳语、巴尔蒂语、卡拉沙语、科伊斯坦语及其他语言群体。这种多样性应被视为国家的宝贵资产，而非分裂的根源。
巴基斯坦可以从多个方面汲取实际经验。首先，平等的公民身份必须始终作为基础。每个省份、语言群体和文化团体都应感受到国家机构对其公平对待。巴基斯坦的宪法已确立了法律面前人人平等的原则，并保障了公民权利。
其次，发展应更加紧密地与国家凝聚力相结合。在欠发达地区建设道路、学校、大学、医院、数字基础设施以及创造就业机会，不仅是经济投资，还能增强人们对联邦的认同感。
第三，巴基斯坦可以扩大各省份之间的文化交流和语言交流。学生互访、跨省奖学金、全国性文化节、语言学习项目以及联合青年倡议等，有助于年轻一代更好地了解自己所在地区以外的其他社群。
第四，政治对话应成为管理分歧的长期机制。联邦政府与省级政府、各政党、宗教学者、学术界、商界、民间社会以及少数民族和语言群体代表，应拥有制度化的协商渠道。
最后，国家团结不应意味着压制正当的文化认同。一个更强大的巴基斯坦，可以通过让公民同时为自己的语言、省份、文化及地方传统感到自豪，同时又对巴基斯坦怀有同样坚定的承诺来实现。
因此，从中国经验中得出的核心教训并非追求同质化，而是努力将平等、文化尊重、发展与共同的国家目标联系起来。对巴基斯坦而言，目标也应是一个多样性增强联邦凝聚力而非分裂联邦的社会。在一个拥有多种语言、文化和区域身份的国家里，当公民相信他们的差异得到尊重、未来得以共享时，国家团结才能最为持久。
(注意： 本文是用AI翻译的，或有误差。请以原版英文为准。谢谢。)
Reference: Chinese Embassy, Islamabad, Pakistan.