Editor's Note:

Since 2012, many National People's Congress (NPC) deputies and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) members have jointly proposed establishing a national border festival. During this year's "two sessions," they have submitted the proposal yet again. Why does China need a border festival? What's the significance of such a festival? Global Times reporters Yu Jincui and Liu Linlin interviewed two CPPCC members who support the proposal.

Long-term approach

Ge Jianxiong, a CPPCC member, and the library curator and professor at Fudan University

There are two ways to manage border areas. One is to solve problems superficially and the other is to solve them fundamentally.

Adapting contemporary needs or making efforts in national defense are superficial, while making sure the borderlands are stable and developed fully is the fundamental solution.

A long-term attitude to development is needed to encourage healthy interaction, not conflicts, in the border areas.

That is why the establishment of a border festival offers an all-round solution, and it is rooted in the development of the border areas through which the freedom and happiness of people living there can maintain the security of the areas.

Ethnic minorities sometimes don't benefit enough due to a lack of capital, technology and educational resources, which make them think that the Han people have jeopardized their interests.

This forces us to be keen on balanced development, and to share wealth with ethnic minorities or help them get even richer.

Mongolia used to be attracted by China, but as it has discovered what are among the world's biggest reserves of natural resources, the balance is changing. To some Chinese people, Mongolia appreas more attractive than their own country.

What can we do in such circumstances? How we develop border areas will be vital to deciding which way talent will go between China and Mongolia.

To a certain extent, hidden prejudice does exist among police, officials and even the public. Once they spot people from certain ethnic minorities, they will feel insecure.

We should remember that separatists are only a tiny minority in a few ethnic groups, and we cannot label the entirety of any ethnic group as dangerous.

Meanwhile, ethnic minorities who violate the law should face equal punishment. Some public security organs cut loose criminals from ethnic minorities due to the language barriers. But catching those criminals actually protects the whole group from being misunderstood.

The government shouldn't be inflexible on ethnic unification policies, but should look into actual situations.

In order to make sure that the border festival makes sense to everybody in the long run, the authorities should develop all aspects of border areas to create a win-win situation, not simply implement preferential policies in these areas.

And in those areas that cannot be opened to trade due to national security needs, the government should compensate local residents and rather than stand by and watch them suffer economic losses.

Bringing frontier closer

Bao Mingde, a CPPCC member and a research fellow with the Institute of Ethnic Literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

People in inland regions often feel the frontier is remote, and such impressions and feelings have been formed by history. Many ancient Chinese poems describe the frontier areas as desolate, cold and lonely. But that's not true. China has a vast territory with rich resources, which is well embodied in the frontier regions.

Frontier regions account for about 60 percent of China's total area, and although some places in the frontier regions are deserts or mudflats, there are rich resources such as natural gas, oil, coal and mineral resources underground.

The frontier regions are an indispensable part of the construction of an affluent society. The purpose of proposing a border festival is to make the frontier regions less remote to inland residents.

A border festival also has special significance for enhancing national solidarity and cohesion.

The frontier areas in fact give a lot of support to the inland regions through providing energy and resources. It's not only inland regions assisting frontier regions, but reciprocal support between the inland parts of China and the borderlands. The establishment of a border festival could help economic and cultural communication between the inland and frontier regions.

Not all inland residents understand why the country has preferential policies for the development of frontier regions. Through more communication, inland residents could better understand the efforts that various ethnic groups make to safeguard our territory and build the frontier, arousing more respect for people living in frontier regions.