BEIJING – Chinese lawmakers are poised to approve sweeping legislation Thursday that would establish a “unified” national identity for the nation’s 55 ethnic minority communities, according to a draft of the proposed law. Opponents argue the measure will further diminish the cultural heritage of non-Han Chinese populations and could criminalize anyone who opposes this forced “unity.”
The legislation, titled “Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress,” seeks to build national cohesion and support the revival of the Chinese nation under Chinese Communist Party leadership, according to the draft document.
The National People’s Congress, China’s legislative body, plans to vote on the measure during the final session of its annual gathering.
China officially recognizes 56 distinct ethnic communities, with Han Chinese representing the overwhelming majority at more than 91% of the nation’s 1.4 billion residents.
The country’s minority populations—which include Tibetans, Mongols, Hui, Manchus, and Uyghurs—live primarily in territories covering approximately half of China’s landmass, areas often abundant in natural resources.
According to the proposed legislation, integration among ethnic communities would be encouraged through educational programs, housing policies, population movement, community activities, cultural initiatives, tourism development, and economic planning.
The law would require Mandarin as the primary instructional language in educational institutions and for governmental and official functions.
In situations where both Mandarin and minority languages appear together in public spaces, Mandarin must receive “prominence in placement, order, and similar respects,” the draft specified.
“The state respects and protects the learning and use of minority languages and scripts,” the document stated.
Religious organizations, faith-based educational institutions, and worship facilities must comply “to the direction of the Sinicization of religion in China,” the draft indicated.
The proposed law would also prohibit interference with marital decisions based on ethnic background, traditions, or religious beliefs, encouraging cross-ethnic marriages.
Allen Carlson, who serves as an associate professor of government at Cornell University and specializes in Chinese foreign policy, described the legislation as emphasizing assimilation.
“The law makes it clearer than ever that in President Xi Jinping’s PRC non-Han peoples must do more to integrate themselves with the Han majority, and above all else be loyal to Beijing,” Carlson explained, using the acronym for China’s official designation.
Minority affairs would become part of China’s broader social control framework, incorporating provisions for anti-separatist measures, frontier security, threat mitigation, and societal stability.
Foreign organizations and individuals who engage in activities against China “that undermine ethnic unity and progress or create ethnic separatism shall be pursued for legal liability in accordance with the law,” according to the draft.
A commentary in the government-controlled China Daily newspaper claimed the legislation underwent thorough legislative review, including multiple examinations and consultations with legislators and minority community representatives.
“The law stresses the protection of cultural traditions and lifestyles of all ethnic groups… it is misleading to claim that ethnic minorities in China must choose between economic development and cultural preservation,” the editorial stated.
