China’s highest legislative body approved an “Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law” on Thursday, formalizing Beijing’s long-standing effort to strengthen national identity and ethnic integration.
The legislation was passed at the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress during its annual parliamentary gathering in Beijing.
State-linked media outlet Xinhua previously reported that the law would aim to codify “fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation” into state policy.
It will also support high-quality development in regions with large ethnic minority populations and promote what officials describe as common prosperity among China’s 56 ethnic groups.
Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, stated that the measure is intended to advance the rule-of-law governance of ethnic affairs.
“The people of every ethnic group, all national organizations and groups, the armed forces, every Party and social organization, every enterprise—all must cultivate a common consciousness of the Chinese nation in accordance with the law and constitution, and take responsibility for building this consciousness,” the proposed law reads, according to a translation from The Associated Press.
As reported by the AP, academics and external observers argue that the provisions could erode the cultural identity of ethnic minorities by mandating Mandarin in compulsory education and establishing a legal basis to pursue individuals or organizations outside China whose actions are deemed to undermine “ethnic unity.”
China’s population stood at 1.44 billion as of November 2020, according to the Seventh National Population Census released in 2021 by the National Bureau of Statistics.
Of that total, 91.11% were Han Chinese and 8.89% belonged to ethnic minority groups.
James Leibold, a professor at Australia’s La Trobe University, told the AP the new measure “drives a final nail into the party’s original promise of meaningful autonomy.”
Rayhan Asat, a legal scholar at Harvard University, also criticized the law, saying it “serves as a strategic tool and provides the government with a pretext to commit various human rights violations.”