After two days of hearing with Chinese officials, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination released its conclusions on Thursday.

Ninety-two percent of China is ethnically Han Chinese, but the remaining eight percent makes up 109 million peoples. The report noted that certain regions in China were particularly vulnerable, and asked the Chinese to better substantiate their claim that minorities in China were benefiting from economic development.

The report said the committee "remained concerned with regard to the ... freedom of religion by people belonging to national minorities, particularly in Xinjiang and Tibet."

Xinjiang is a largely Muslim region in western China. Other peoples noted in the report were Tibetans, Mongolians, Uighurs, Koreans and Tujia.

Also noted were "continuous reports of discrimination with the regard to the right to education in minority regions, with particular emphasis on Tibet," which is mostly Buddhist. The committee recommended that China ``ensure that children in all minority areas have the right to develop knowledge about their own language and culture as well as the Chinese.''

"A distinctive religion is integral to the identity of several minorities,'' the report said.

Not mentioned by the report was the Falong Gong sect, whom China accuses of religious fanaticism. But the Chinese official did emphasize that their family planning program was much more lenient on minorities, and therefore minority populations were growing at a faster rate then Han Chinese.

They also cited the Western Development Plan as beneficial to minorities as it brings rail and road service to otherwise isolated minority areas. But many human rights activists allege that these lines of transportation only re-enforces the government's control of potential fractional regions, and does little to benefit the ethnic people it reaches.

The Chinese report cited its constitution, which declares all nationalities equal and bars discrimination. But, Chinese officials present recognized that it is a hard task to wipe out racism and discrimination, which aren't always evident.