Ethnic Unity Law: China tells minorities to assimilate with sweeping new legislation

Key Points:

• China has enacted the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, effective July 1, which mandates ethnic minorities to adopt a Chinese national identity aligned with the Communist Party, affecting education, cultural institutions, and housing policies.
• The law requires schools to prioritize Mandarin and promote loyalty to the Communist Party, while also enabling authorities to target individuals and organizations outside China for actions deemed to undermine ethnic unity.
• Critics, including UN human rights experts, warn the law may suppress minority cultural, linguistic, and religious rights and facilitate transnational repression of diaspora communities and overseas activists.
• Experts view the legislation as a formalization of Beijing's push for assimilation and national security under Xi Jinping, potentially causing self-censorship among scholars and activists globally.
• Chinese officials defend the law as protecting ethnic groups' legitimate rights and national sovereignty, emphasizing that it aims to prevent ethnic tensions and maintain national prosperity.