Study On The Population Policy Of The Minority Nationalities With Less Population In Yunnan Province

Small ethnic groups (hereafter SEGs) are important members of Chinesepopulation facing special conditions. The survival and sustainable development of theSEGs has consequences in the prosperity of all nationalities in China, the well-beingof peoples’ lives and the social harmony.In Yunnan, the province demonstrating highest ethnic diversity in China, thepopulation growth of SEGs has been a major concern in provincial population policymaking. Eight SEGs with the population under300,000find their homes in theprovince. The population development of SEGs in Yunnan is relatively backward,facing such problems as low population quality, low representation in urbanpopulation and less occupation of better-paid jobs, social-economical underdevelopment, as well as endangered population security due to natural and historicalfactors.Since the establishment of People’s Republic of China, the demographic policyof Yunnan Province passed three periods: the promotion of population growth, thegeneral implementation of family planning, and special population policies. Analysison historical population policies regarding SEGs in Yunnan and those in the presentday, we find out that the population reproduction of SEGs has progressed from theirtraditional way to transitional and modern methods. The mortality rate of new born isreduced, the average expected life is prolonged, the education level of the people isenhanced and the living conditions are improved. The population policies havesupported the demographic development of Yunnan in terms of family planning,culture, medical care, education and poverty alleviation.Despite the achievements in Yunnan’s population policies on SECs’, problems still exist in making and implementing them in a problem-specific, fair, systematicand up to date way. For example, some regulations lack precision in formulating andimplementation; some over-stress individual interests while fail to ensure the fairnessand holisticality; and some policies are not adapted to new conditions.Under the principal of scientific decision making, combining holisticmanagement and individual consultation, keep stability as well as flexibility andgiving special focus on group interests, we have come up with following suggestionsto improve the demographic policies of SEGs: to maintain the existing birth policyand keep appropriate growth space; to expand social service and enhance populationquality; to ultimate the population structure; to solve risky factors to populationsecurity and ensure the sustainable growth of SEGs; and in the end, to support thepopulation development in Yunnan in a comprehensive way.