China Proposes 'Ethnic Unity' Law, Drawing Human Rights Concerns

New Legislation Submitted to National People's Congress

A new legislative proposal, officially titled the 'Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress,' was submitted to China's National People's Congress (NPC) on September 8, 2025, for its initial review. The 62-article draft law is intended to foster a strong sense of community among the Chinese nation, advance Chinese modernization, and promote the common prosperity and development of all ethnic groups, according to official statements. It emphasizes promoting interethnic exchanges through cultural, educational, and tourism initiatives.

Human Rights Watch Raises Alarm Over Assimilation

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has voiced significant concerns regarding the proposed legislation, asserting that it would provide a broad legal framework to justify existing repression and force the assimilation of minority populations both within China and internationally. Maya Wang, associate Asia director at HRW, stated that the draft law 'seeks to mobilize the bureaucracy and society to unite people under Chinese Communist Party leadership at the expense of human rights.' Critics argue the law is a 'blatant effort by the Chinese government to control people's thoughts and expression about China both inside and outside the country.'

Key Provisions and Potential Impacts

The draft law includes provisions that could significantly impact minority rights:

• It prohibits acts that 'damage ethnic unity,' a term Human Rights Watch describes as overly broad and historically used to punish minority community members deemed noncompliant with party policies.
• The legislation seeks to diminish previously guaranteed rights of minorities to 'use and develop their own language,' as stipulated in the 1984 Law on Regional National Autonomy, instead emphasizing the dominance of Mandarin Chinese.
• Article 61 of the draft law stipulates that 'organizations and individuals outside the territory of the People's Republic of China' who 'undermine national unity and progress or incite ethnic division' will be held 'legally accountable,' extending China's ideological control beyond its borders.
• The law formalizes the ideological framework of 'a common consciousness of the Chinese nation' across various sectors, including education, religion, history, culture, tourism, mass media, and the internet.

This move is seen by some as a culmination of President Xi Jinping's assimilation policy, which has increasingly emphasized a narrative of China as a 'unified multi-ethnic nation' under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Existing policies in regions like Xinjiang and Tibet have already led to reduced access to mother tongue education and cultural persecution.

International Scrutiny and Calls for Action

The proposed law has drawn international scrutiny, with Human Rights Watch urging concerned countries to push back against these efforts. The case of Zhang Yadi, a 22-year-old student-activist arrested in July 2025 for 'inciting separatism' after advocating for Tibetan rights abroad, is cited as an example of the broad application of such concepts. Her arrest underscores concerns about the law's potential to further repress dissent and control expression both domestically and among the diaspora.