What is China’s new ethnic unity law, and what does it mean for minorities? | | Government Affairs

China began to work a the new law of ethnic unity that rights groups and foreign officials have warned could accelerate repression of ethnic minorities.

The world’s second most populous country officially recognizes 55 ethnic minorities, which make up 8.9 percent of China’s population.

Beijing also announced that the new law, which came into effect on Wednesday, cit applies to people outside the country’s borders, which it has it also raised fears among activists, who said it could be used against Chinese dissidents.

The Chinese government, however, said the Western media had “misinterpreted” the foreign policy and that the country only wanted to use its rights to deal with foreign separatist movements.

Here’s more information on China’s new laws and how they may affect minorities.

What are the laws of Chinese ethnic unity?

China passed the law on March 12 to create a “shared” identity among the country’s 56 ethnic groups – the majority Han and 55 ethnic minorities.

The largest ethnic groups in China are the Uighurs, about 11 million people, and the Tibetans, about 7 million people. Tibet and Xinjiang, where most of the Uighurs live, are the only two regions in China where the country’s ethnic minorities make up the majority of the population.

The law, approved by China’s parliament, is designed to promote “unity among people of all ethnicities in China”, Lou Qinjian, a delegate to the National People’s Congress who presented the proposal to the body, said in March.

The law stipulates the importance of promoting inter-ethnic cooperation with all public and private organizations, including local governments and government-affiliated groups such as the All-China Women’s Federation.

But critics of the Chinese government have pointed out that Beijing has previously used anodyne laws and regulations to justify restrictions on ethnic diversity, particularly among Tibetans and Uighurs.

“People of all kinds, organizations and groups of the country, armed forces, every Party and social organization, every company, must create a Chinese national identity according to laws and regulations, and take responsibility for creating this identity,” the law says.

According to Section 15 of the new law, Mandarin is compulsory for all children to be taught before kindergarten and in all compulsory education until the end of high school.

Mandarin is the primary language of instruction in Inner Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang, all areas of China with very small ethnic minorities, but the new law states that minority languages ​​cannot be the primary language of education across the country.

Until recent years, ethnic minorities had autonomy over the language used for teaching in schools.

The Chinese law states that “every ethnic group has the right to use and develop their own language” and “the right to self-determination” while the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy promises the autonomy of the groups, including allowing them to make changes to develop their own economy.

Why is this law being criticized because of how it affects minorities?

China has faced criticism from international organizations, rights groups and its Western rivals over alleged atrocities against its ethnic minorities.

The United Nations in 2018 said that China held at least one million mostly Muslims The Uighurs are another Turkic minority in a network of what Beijing described as retraining centers. Beijing has denied allegations that it uses Uighurs for forced labor and says the camps are training centers to teach Mandarin and other skills needed to combat “extremism” and prevent “terrorism“.

The supreme spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama, has lived in India for more than 60 years. Although the Dalai Lama’s relationship with China has changed over time, Beijing has described him as an “isolationist”.

Rights groups have complained that the new law could interfere with the social and cultural rights of minorities.

“The Chinese authorities have a responsibility to protect minorities and their cultures, but this law does the opposite,” said Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s deputy director-general on Tuesday.

“Instead of celebrating diversity, I encourage ethnic groups such as the Uighurs, Tibetans and Mongolians to adopt a common national identity and a country dominated by Han Chinese culture.”

Brooks added that “high-risk activities in China – such as promoting minority languages, documenting human rights abuses or advocating for people imprisoned for expressing culture, opinion or belief – may be criminal.”

Does the law extend to China?

In Chinese eyes, it does.

The law includes a clause that states that people and groups outside the borders of the People’s Republic of China can be prosecuted for disrupting “ethnic harmony and progress or inciting discrimination”.

That has raised fears in self-ruled Taiwan that it could give Beijing another legitimate basis to go after Taiwanese it views as separatists. “In the future, people from any country whose words or actions are not acceptable in China may be prosecuted or prosecuted,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Beijing insists that Taiwan belongs to China and has not ruled out taking the island by force.

The Central Tibetan Government, which sees itself as the Tibetan government in exile, also opposed the new law.

“Although China presents the law as a way to promote ‘social harmony and international cooperation’, it is in line with the policy of forced immigration,” CTA said in a statement. “Based on existing measures – including the expansion of state-run colonial schools and other policies related to the Tibetan language, religion, education, and cultural traditions – this law raises concerns about the long-term survival of the Tibetan people.”

How has China responded?

China has refused to oppose the law. At home, he says, the law aims to promote peace and harmony between the tribes and better connect the coastal areas to the wider region.

And around the world, he says, China is just doing what every other country does: protecting its own security.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing about the law, Vice Minister of Justice Hu Weilie said some Western media, whom he did not name, had “distorted and misinterpreted” the law’s scope in China.

“This is in line with what China is doing, it is in line with the law and it is in line with the international situation. It is a legal, legal, necessary and feasible law,” he said. “States throughout the world have the right to prevent secession and destruction and to maintain social harmony and good order through domestic law.”

The foreign system fights illegal activities and uses law enforcement to “prevent various illegal activities involving foreign species,” he said.

The implementation of the overseas policy will safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development as well as the rights and interests of people of all nations, Hu said.

“It does not affect people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries, academic exchanges, economic and trade cooperation, or other activities.”