Zeng Qinghong, China's vice President, said the development of Inner Mongolia, China's first national autonomous region, has set an example for implementing the autonomous system of ethnic regions in China yesterday.

A special evening was held on July 29th in Beijing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Before the evening, Zeng Qinghong met some retired officials who had worked in Inner Mongolia, and praised their contributions to the prosperity of the region.

Zeng Qinghong said that he hopes they can continue their care for the development of Inner Mongolia, and extend their further support to help build a more beautiful, prosperous and harmonious Inner Mongolia.

Inner Mongolia has made great strides in various social aspects over the past 60 years. Figures show that the region's GDP increase speed ranked first in China over the 2001 to 2005 period, with an average annual growth rate of over 17 percent.

Nowadays, Inner Mongolia has become China's important production base of agricultural and husbandry products, as well as of energy and raw materials.
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2007)