China's Law on Ethnic Unity Draws International Backlash; US, Japan, EU, UN Condemn

(Central News Agency Washington/Tokyo/Brussels, July 1) The "Law on the Promotion of National Unity and Progress of Ethnic Groups" in China takes effect today, raising concerns that it will place greater pressure on ethnic minorities within China and provide a legal basis for Beijing's transnational suppression operations. The United States, Japan, the European Union, and the United Nations have all issued condemnations.

According to Nikkei Asia, the "Law on the Promotion of National Unity and Progress of Ethnic Groups" was passed by the National People's Congress in March. It includes a preamble and 65 articles, aiming to "forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation."

This has triggered high alert among democratic countries and human rights advocates. Critics point out that the law not only legitimizes current policies that oppress the language, culture, and traditional rights of ethnic minorities but also allows Chinese authorities to enforce the law extraterritorially.

Article 63 of the Law on Ethnic Unity states that any "foreign organizations and individuals" who "engage in acts that undermine national unity and progress or create ethnic division" against China will be held legally accountable.

Another provision stipulates that all Chinese citizens have the "obligation to safeguard national unity and the unity of all ethnic groups nationwide"; it firmly opposes external forces interfering in the cause of national unity and progress under the "pretext of ethnicity, religion, human rights, etc."

John Moolenaar, Chairman of the House Select Committee on China, issued a statement on June 29, stating that the Law on Ethnic Unity demonstrates that "the CCP's cruelty and paranoia are escalating."

Moolenaar warned that Beijing intends to use this law to "continue to harass and intimidate dissidents living outside of China" while "legalizing" its oppression of ethnic minorities.

Voice of America (VOA) reported that on June 26, U.S. Republican Senators John Curtis and Jim Banks, along with Democratic Senators Jacky Rosen and Jeff Merkley, jointly introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning the Law on Ethnic Unity.

They expressed concern about the law's impact on the rights, freedoms, and identities of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongols, and other ethnic groups, and called on Beijing to "cease its human rights abuses and transnational repression," as such actions "undermine U.S. sovereignty and threaten the safety and freedom of people within the United States."

Curtis stated that this is a further escalation of Beijing's long-standing efforts to erase the cultural identity of ethnic minorities and provides the CCP with an excuse to "intimidate those outside of China who dare to criticize."

He also emphasized that the United States, as the leader of the free world, must firmly support persecuted individuals and declare that it "will not tolerate the CCP exporting repression, silencing those who expose human rights abuses, or eroding U.S. sovereignty."

American actor Richard Gere also published an article in The Wall Street Journal on June 28, titled "China's ‘Ethnic Unity’ Law Means Repression Without Borders."

Nikkei Asia reported that Keiji Furuya, a member of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) House of Representatives, stated at a press conference yesterday that the Law on Ethnic Unity has extraterritorial jurisdiction, and "democratic countries absolutely cannot tolerate the content of this law."

Furuya is the chairman of the Parliamentary League for the Uyghur, and a key aide to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

LDP Senator Eriko Yamatani, who also serves as the chairman of the Parliamentary League for Tibet and the Parliamentary League for Southern Mongolia, expressed concern about the "vague wording" of the Law on Ethnic Unity and its potential impact on freedom of speech in Japan.

Four Japanese parliamentary groups issued a joint statement yesterday condemning and demanding the repeal of the law. These groups include alliances supporting the human rights of Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Southern Mongolians, as well as an alliance that investigates and responds to human rights abuses in China.

Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for China to repeal the Law on Ethnic Unity in a statement at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva in mid-June.

He said, "The new Law on Ethnic Unity may further deepen restrictions on freedoms of language, education, religion, culture, speech, and assembly, and punish ethnic minorities for peacefully exercising their rights."

The European Parliament also passed a resolution in April, "strongly condemning" and calling for the repeal of the Law on Ethnic Unity.

The European Parliament stated that the law embodies "China's oppressive assimilation policies and violations of universal human rights, implemented in places like Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia," and noted that the law requires Mandarin Chinese to be prioritized in education, public life, and media.

The resolution calls on all EU member states to suspend extradition treaties with China to "protect victims residing within the EU from transnational repression under this law."

The resolution also urges the European Council to "initiate the EU Global Sanctions Regime against those responsible for this new law."