Beijing —
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has long encouraged ethnic minorities such as Tibetans and Uyghurs to adopt an identity rooted in Chinese nationality and loyalty to the ruling Communist Party.
The push is now codified in a comprehensive new law that extends to classrooms, neighborhoods and homes, giving the Chinese government the right to target people outside its borders if it appears to be violating the rules.
The law, officially known as the “Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Act,” came into effect on July 1. The law prohibits acts that “undermine ethnic unity or create ethnic divisions” among China’s 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, including the majority Han Chinese, who make up more than 90% of the country’s 1.4 billion population.
Under the new rules, schools and government institutions must use Chinese as their primary language. Classrooms must ensure that the curriculum “cultivates a strong sense of Chinese community,” and all parents must teach their children to “love the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people.”
While the state has an obligation to help museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions hold events that reflect China’s history and national prosperity, local governments must address ethnic integration in their housing policies, a provision that observers have suggested could lead to housing displacement.
According to the law, organizations and individuals outside mainland China that “undermine” ethnic unity or “create ethnic divisions” will also be held liable. Critics argue that this broad provision will affect activism, research, and discussion of minority issues around the world.
In a speech to mark the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China on Wednesday, President Xi called on all party members to “continue to strengthen and strengthen the great unity of all ethnic groups” and emphasized the importance of the law.
The bill has already drawn criticism from rights groups and experts who say it could suppress the cultural identities, religious practices and languages of minorities.
UN human rights experts said in an April letter that the law “could have a significant impact on the linguistic, cultural and religious autonomy of ethnic communities, including Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongolians.”
They also warned of the potential for “transnational repression” given that the law could be applied abroad.
To some observers, the law appears to be the final step in China’s long-standing policy of valuing national identity over ethnic autonomy. Critics see this policy shift as an aggressive push toward assimilation.
It is also widely seen as part of a broader vision to ensure national security under Mr. Xi, who came to power in 2012 after massive protests in Tibet in 2008 and deadly violence in Xinjiang, home to the ethnic Uighur minority.
James Leibold, a professor at Melbourne’s La Trobe University who specializes in China’s ethnic policy, said the new law means that Beijing “no longer treats ‘ethnic unity’ as a matter of general political slogans or local propaganda.”
“This makes the formation of a single Chinese national identity across schools, homes, media, museums, executives, budgets, technology platforms and security agencies a binding responsibility,” he said.
“The message is clear: ethnic minority identities are acceptable only if they are subordinated to the party-defined Chinese identity.”
Liebold also noted that the law could have a “chilling effect” on those who study or criticize China’s nationality and border policies, including overseas academics, journalists, activists, and diaspora communities, and could encourage “self-censorship, inhibiting travel, and narrow academic debate.”
In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party has stepped up surveillance of religious institutions and curtailed the use of ethnic minority languages in elementary, middle, and kindergarten schools. The Chinese government has been accused of, and continues to be accused of, serious human violations, including the large-scale arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region. Chinese officials deny these claims.
It also faces allegations of widespread repression across borders. A 2022 report by human rights activist Safeguard Defenders found evidence that more than 100 so-called overseas police stations around the world are monitoring, harassing and, in some cases, repatriating Chinese exiles. The Chinese government denied this.
The Chinese government claims that the new national reunification law protects “the legitimate rights and interests of all ethnic groups” and “does not undermine the use of national languages by ethnic minorities.”
Asked about the possibility of “long-term jurisdiction” at a press conference on Monday, Vice-Minister of Justice Hu Weili said it was in line with basic norms of international law for countries to protect their sovereignty.
“Ethnic unity is an important basis for national prosperity and development,” he said. “Illegal acts that intentionally incite ethnic tensions, undermine ethnic unity, and endanger national security erode the foundations of ethnic unity and undermine the public interest and the legitimate rights and interests of the people.”
