a.     Major functions

(1) To implement national guidelines and policies and enforce national laws and regulations related to ethnic and religious work; to study and draw up the drafts of local rules, regulations and policies on ethnic and religious affairs, in the light of the actual circumstances in this province; to be responsible for the publication and instruction of policies and legal system related to ethnic and religious work.

(2) To safeguard various rights of minority nationalities according to law; to organize and undertake such activities as commendation ceremony of nationalities’ reunion and progress, and coordinate relations among nationalities, strengthen nationalities’ reunion; to coordinate relevant departments to do well the fostering, education and appointment of minority cadres; to be responsible for the contact with foreign minority personnel; to organize reception for foreign ethnic and religious groups to the province for study, visit and research.

(3) To study the production and life of the province’s minority nationalities; to administer the subsidy earmark and special funds for the region of minority nationalities jointly with related departments; to do the poverty relief work of minority nationalities well jointly with related departments.

(4) To coordinate related departments for the economic and technical cooperation between this province and minority nationality regions, the support geared to the need and the production and supply of special-needed commodities for minority nationalities.

(5) To coordinate relevant departments to promote the development of all causes as economy, education, culture and sports in the villages and streets minority nationalities live; to strengthen the contact with nationality counties and nationality schools.

(6) To protect citizen’s freedom of religious belief according to laws, and protect legitimate rights of religious groups and place of religious activities, and protect the holders of religious office to perform their regular religious office's activities; to protect believers’ regular religious activities.

(7) To carry out administration and supervision to the province’s religious affairs; to direct and promote religion to perform activities within the range of laws, regulations and policies; to prevent and stop lawbreakers from taking illegal or law-breaking activities behind the banner of region; to cooperate with relevant departments to reveal and strike all kinds of evil cults.

(8) To help religious groups to strengthen self-construction; to coordinate religious groups for fostering and educating holders of religious office; to deal with religious groups’ affairs needing the government’s assistance of coordination.

(9) To command the ethnic and religious affairs both at home and abroad; to coordinate for dealing with the foreign affairs related to nationality policies and nationality relations, to help and support the religious groups to develop friendly contacts with foreign countries and the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Regions; to cooperate with relevant departments to deal with accidents related to ethnic and religious affairs appropriately and timely.

(10) Entrusted by National Ethnic Affairs Bureau, to send special to Jinling Xiehe Divinity School to help for the political thought work and administration work, and administer institutions and religious schools of state religious groups stationing in Nanjin for Jinling Xiehe Divinity School; to assist other provincial religious groups to run well their provinces’ religious schools.

(11) To direct ethnic and religion affairs of all municipalities and counties (cities); to be responsible for the personnel, management of institution posts and party and public work of commissions (bureaus) offices and enterprise organizations directly affiliated to the commissions (bureaus).

(12) To undertake other matters assigned by the Provincial Government.

b.    Name of the leader: Mr. Weng Zhenjin  Director General

c.    Profile of the leader

Weng Zhenjin, male, born in September 1946, Han Nationality, Taixing person, graduated from junior college. He started his work in September 1969 and joined the Chinese Communist Party in March 1975. Presently he is the Vice Minister of the United Fronts Department of Jiangsu CPC Party Committee, Director General and Party Secretary of Jiangsu Ethnic Affairs Commission. He used to take offices as teacher in Taixing Xiqiao Middle School, Secretary in County Agricultural Office, Deputy Party Secretary of Taixing Beixin Community, county commissioner, Director of Research Office of County Government, the second hand of the county, Vice Secretary of County Party Committee, Vice Secretary General of CPC Yangzhou Municipal Party Committee, Director of Research Office of CPC Yangzhou Municipal Party Committee, Party Secretary of Yangzhou Urban Party Committee, Party Commissioner and Minister of Organization Department of CPC Yangzhou Party Committee, Vice Party Secretary of CPC Taizhou Party Committee, Vice Minister of Agricultural and Industrial Department of CPC Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and Deputy Director General of Provincial Rural Development Research Center, Deputy Director General of Collective Capital Administration Office of Provincial Government, Deputy Director General and Vice Party Secretary of Provincial Civil Affairs Department. He took the present office in May 2000.