Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress

The Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress is the People's Republic of China's guiding legislation concerning ethnic minorities. The law was introduced by the National People's Congress (NPC)'s Ethnic Affairs Committee and submitted to the NPC on 8 September 2025. It was signed into law on 12 March 2026 and enacted on 1 July 2026. The law codifies CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's policies regarding the sinicization of ethnic minorities. The law has been widely criticized by scholars, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, multiple governments, former United Nations special rapporteurs, and human rights activists outside of China. The law's promotion of extraterritorial enforcement has been likened to transnational repression. Quotes Lobga Rangzen demonstrated an extraordinary example of devotion and loyalty to his people and homeland—a depth of love that many in the world may never truly comprehend. He connected his sacrifice with the obnoxious “Ethnic Unity Law” enforced by China since July 1, which is nothing but a sinister tool for forced assimilation and cultural genocide. This law does not merely aim to erase the souls of the captive nations under Chinese occupation to forge a single, homogenous Chinese identity; it is also designed to dismantle democratic forces abroad that resist Beijing’s tyranny.… We know all too well the bloody reality behind the “Ethnic Unity Law” that the Chinese government enacted on July 1. What [the Communist Party of] China calls “unity” is, in truth, forced assimilation and the total eradication of a nation’s identity. It is precisely this destructive policy of the Chinese regime that drove Tibet’s heroic son, Lobga Rangzen, to make the ultimate sacrifice. The flames that rose from his body are the most powerful rejection of the Chinese government, shattering the world’s complicit silence in defense of human dignity. Abdurehim Gheni, "What Lobga Rangzen’s Self-Immolation in New York Tells the Uyghurs", Bitter Winter (July 14, 2026) A July 13 wikt:commentary commentary on the new Ethnic Unity Law in the “Beijing Daily,” written by Central Party School ethnologist Chen Shanshan, offered an unusually candid explanation of the direction in which China’s ethnic policy is now moving. The Central Party School is where senior party cadres are trained, and her commentary may be considered semi-official. Hu Zimo (pseudonym), "CCP Scholar: China’s New Ethnic Unity Law Moves from Administration to Assimilation", Bitter Winter (August 11, 2026) On July 21, 50 Uyghur diaspora groups signed a joint statement condemning the law and calling for its repeal.“This law is not a technical administrative measure. It is a legislative instrument of forced assimilation,” it said. It “explicitly conflates the Chinese nation with the CCP and demands that ethnic groups abandon their distinct identities” for Party loyalty and Xi Jinping’s vision of a “Sinified China.”The statement said the law mandates the Sinicization of religion and builds on policies that have already brought “mass internment, cultural and religious destruction, and the forced separation of children from their families.”Article 63 is the most alarming. It asserts that individuals and organizations outside China who “undermine ethnic unity and progress” can be held legally responsible under Chinese law. The groups condemned this extraterritorial reach: lawful speech abroad is now subject to Beijing’s jurisdiction. “By allowing this law to stand, states effectively accept Beijing’s authority over people on their own soil—a direct challenge to state sovereignty and the rule of law.” Ruth Ingram, "China’s Ethnic Unity Law: Uyghurs in the Diaspora Already See Its Effects", Bitter Winter (August 6, 2026) External links Category:China