Chicago – March 12, 2026
China’s legislature has adopted a new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, a sweeping measure Beijing says will strengthen national cohesion but which critics warn will further erode the rights and identities of ethnic minorities.
The law, passed overwhelmingly by the National People’s Congress on March 12, 2026, codifies President Xi Jinping’s long‑standing policy of ethnic integration under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. It mandates Mandarin as the primary language in education and public life, while requiring government bodies, enterprises and social organizations to advance a “common consciousness of the Chinese nation.”
Human rights advocates and scholars argue the legislation weakens previously enshrined protections for minority languages and autonomy, potentially punishing dissent as separatism and expanding Beijing’s legal reach to people and groups outside China.
They contend the law formalizes assimilationist policies already applied in regions such as Xinjiang, Tibet and Inner Mongolia. Chinese state media defend the law as promoting development and cultural preservation, but critics say it entrenches a Han‑centric identity at the expense of cultural diversity.
