The System of Regional Ethnic Autonomy in the People’s Republic of China: Constitutional and Legal Framework

Trailović Dragan (Institut za političke studije, Beograd,), dragan.trailovic@ips.ac.rs

This paper analyzes the constitutional and legal framework regulating the system ofregional ethnic autonomy in the People’s Republic of China. As one of the most significant elements of the political system of the PRC, the system of regional ethnic autonomy serves to protect the rights of minority ethnic groups within it. In addition, the system is significant for the efforts of the central Chinese authorities to ensure coexistence and overall social stability in regions withdiverse ethnic compositions.The paperfirst provides adefinition of the concept of regional ethnic autonomy in the literature and what this concept empirically refers to.Building onthis conceptualframework,thepaper traces the evolution of the system ofregional ethnic autonomy in China, from its initial introduction after the founding of the People’s Republic of China to its subsequent optimization through constitutional andlegalreforms. Focusing on the legal framework and institutional design, the paper deals with constitutional provisions, the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy, as well as other official documents relating to regional ethnic autonomy, aiming to demonstrate how they shape the structure, scope, and mechanisms of the system of regional ethnic autonomy in the PRC. The emphasis is on those aspects ofthe system relatedto issues of establishing ethnic autonomous areas and their self-governing bodies, as well as the allocation of decision-making powers between local and central authorities.

Keywords: system of regional ethnic autonomy, territorial autonomy, ethnic autonomous regions, People’s Republic of China