China’s new Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law takes effect on 1 July, prompting warnings from representatives of Tibetan and Uyghur minorities and criticism from international bodies and rights groups. According to reporting across outlets, the law is designed to promote a “shared” national identity among China’s ethnic groups. Critics argue that the measure could further weaken protections for minority cultures and languages, and may facilitate what they describe as forced assimilation.
Multiple sources cite concerns that the law supports policies that elevate Mandarin and strengthen its status as an official language, a development opponents say could further marginalize minority languages. The Hong Kong Free Press reports that Tibetan and Uyghur representatives raise these issues at a United Nations meeting, calling on other countries to pressure China to repeal the law. The Guardian similarly reports that rights groups denounce the law as forced assimilation and warn it could erode freedoms for Uyghurs, Tibetans and other minorities, and potentially enable Beijing to pursue dissent beyond China’s borders.
Supporters of the law describe it as part of promoting ethnic unity, while critics argue it risks “erasing” minority identities.
