The government stressed that its ethnic autonomy policies are "effective", but that "improvements might be made when necessary".

Officials and experts said there is room to revise the policies in some ethnic regions.

"The current policies include guiding principles set by the central government and regulations of local governments, but a deeper understanding is needed when it comes to making policies at the local level," Wu Shimin, vice-minister of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, said yesterday at a press conference at the State Council Information Office in Beijing.