China has, for the first time, codified into law the concept of the "Chinese nation community," which has emerged as a core ideology since Xi Jinping took power. The crux is to bind together not only ethnic minorities but also residents of Hong Kong and Taiwan under the identity of "the same Chinese people." The West criticized this as a move that legally supports the logic of assimilating ethnic minorities and integrating Hong Kong and Taiwan. There was also criticism that China has departed from the multiethnic national policy it has maintained since its founding and has institutionalized the assimilation of ethnic minorities.
According to The Paper and others on the 25th, the China State Council Information Office held a press conference the day before and announced that the "Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law (hereinafter the Ethnic Unity Law)" will take effect on July 1. The law passed at the Two Sessions (the National People's Congress of China and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) in March with 2,756 votes in favor, 3 against, and 3 abstentions.
◇ "Hong Kong, Taiwan, and ethnic minorities are also 'the same Chinese'" codified
According to reports, the essence of the law is to strengthen integration between mainland ethnic minorities and Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese and Chinese descendants. First, standard Chinese must be used as the basic language in school education and in government and public affairs, and in public places in ethnic minority regions, standard Chinese must take precedence over ethnic minority languages in signage. It also includes provisions on implementing education on the history, culture, and national conditions of the Chinese nation in Hong Kong and Macao.
Regarding Taiwan, it stipulates that it will "enhance the sense of belonging, identity, and honor of Taiwan compatriots toward the Chinese nation, and strengthen the recognition that they are the same Chinese nation and the same Chinese people." It also allows for legal accountability if overseas organizations or individuals undermine ethnic unity or incite ethnic division.
Bai Nchaolu, chair of the National People's Congress of China Ethnic Affairs Committee, said of the law, "It is the first law to explain at a jurisprudential level the core concepts such as establishing the consciousness of a Chinese nation community and building the Chinese nation community," adding, "It is a successful case of transforming the Party's theories and practical achievements in ethnic affairs into national will."
◇ The West criticizes it as a step back from past multiethnic coexistence
China officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups, of which the Han make up more than 90% of the total population. Ethnic minorities such as Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongols, and Manchus mainly live concentrated in regions that account for about half of China's territory. In these regions, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, such as autonomous regions, autonomous prefectures, and autonomous counties, applies, and many possess abundant natural resources. There are as many as 12 unique languages used by ethnic minorities, and some regions use unique scripts.
Amid this, in recent years the Chinese government has put forward the "consciousness of a Chinese nation community" as the core line of its ethnic policy. It is seen as shifting from the existing line that recognized ethnic autonomy and cultural diversity to one that prioritizes national identity and political integration, thereby seeking to strengthen interethnic integration and national unification.
In practice, China has recently emphasized the consciousness of a Chinese nation community by promoting the expansion of boarding schools in Xinjiang, the Sinicization of religion, and the spread of standard Chinese. Benno Weiner of Carnegie Mellon University told the Financial Times (FT) in the United Kingdom, "The Ethnic Unity Law overturns the multicultural promise that was the foundation of China's founding," adding, "China is moving away from the concept of 'integration that acknowledges pluralism' to 'integration based on sameness' achieved by eliminating differences."
Lai Zhong-chang, secretary-general of the Democracy and Economy Alliance, a progressive-leaning think tank in Taiwan, told the Taipei Times, "This law, which targets Uyghurs, Tibetans, Southern Mongolians, Hong Kongers, and Taiwanese, amounts to repression in the name of unity." Reuters assessed that, given the law includes provisions for punishment of acts of ethnic division, "it could serve as a basis for labeling those who challenge the state-defined 'unity' as separatists and punishing them."
In response to such concerns, Hou Weile, vice minister of China's Ministry of Justice, said at a press conference, "The punitive provisions are intended to restrain, through the rule of law, various overseas illegal acts related to the ethnic field," adding, "They are based on China's reality, conform to jurisprudence, and align with international practice; they are just, lawful, necessary, and feasible legal provisions." He added, "They will not affect normal cultural exchanges, academic discussions, or economic and trade cooperation."
The Chinese government again refuted allegations of forced labor among Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The National Ethnic Affairs Commission of China said that labor mobility in Xinjiang stems from residents' voluntary choices and that the West's allegations of forced labor and forced relocation are not true.