The Chinese Communist Party’s two sessions concluded on the 12th with the National People’s Congress passing the “Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress” (referred to as the “Ethnic Law”), claiming to promote “national unity and integration” starting from language and script, and requiring parents to educate their underage children to “love the Party.” Analysts believe that this is a form of “ethnic extinction” initiated through culture and law, part of the CCP’s authoritarian rule.
China officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups, with the Han ethnic group accounting for over ninety percent, while other minority groups include Uighurs, Hui, Tibetans, Mongolians, among others.
The “Ethnic Law,” which came into effect on July 1st, emphasizes the promotion of “national unity and progress” and the strengthening of the “common consciousness of the Chinese nation,” with a focus on CCP leadership. The concept of “common consciousness of the Chinese nation” was proposed by CCP leader Xi Jinping in 2017.
The new law requires the “highlighting of the national common language and script” in public places where minority languages are also used.
In regions with a concentration of minority ethnic groups such as Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia, the Beijing authorities have already implemented measures to ensure that children receive education primarily in Mandarin from a young age, gradually phasing out minority textbooks and replacing them with nationally standardized materials.
Associate Professor Feng Chongyi from the University of Technology Sydney told Epoch Times that the CCP’s claim to promote national unity and progress is actually oppressive towards these minority ethnic groups. “It is Xi Jinping’s authoritarian style in the form of law. Similar to the imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong, this is a new evil law aimed at controlling and suppressing the assimilation of minority ethnic groups.”
Feng Chongyi mentioned that a significant method through which the CCP enhances assimilation in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet is by suppressing local dialects and imposing Mandarin. In Xinjiang and Tibet, many children are sent to mainland China to sever the connection of the next generation with their own ethnic culture through language change. Additionally, the CCP dispatches Han officials to these regions, making it a systematic engineering process.
Former Chinese lawyer and independent scholar Lai Jianping told Epoch Times that the CCP is conducting racial extinction through culture and law.
Lai Jianping explained that the CCP adopts a dual approach of incentives and pressures, giving favor and special policies on one hand, and starting from education, culture, and ideology on the other. Although not immediately prohibiting the use of minority languages, Mandarin is consistently promoted, leading to the gradual fading and eventual disappearance of minority languages. People unconsciously change their beliefs, and in the end, the minority ethnic groups are no longer vigorous. Combined with the brutal suppression of the CCP, it instills a fear of violence in people.
“The original characteristics of the ethnic minorities have been destroyed by the Communist Party’s ideology. There is only one kind of people in the country, one kind of authoritarian slaves. This is the fundamental goal that the CCP wants to achieve,” he stated.
The law also stipulates the obligation for parents or guardians to educate their underage children to “love the Party”.
Lai Jianping expressed that the CCP requires parents of minority ethnic groups to ensure their children receive communist education, loyalty to the Communist Party and Xi Jinping akin to North Korea, deeply ingrained into their hearts and souls. Parents are expected to transmit these values to their children. In the future, there may be criteria to check if parents are instilling these values in their children regularly.
Over the past years, the CCP has thoroughly altered the Tibetan cultural environment through measures such as the boarding school system, language policies focusing on Mandarin, and the “sinicization” of Tibetan Buddhism, criticized by international human rights organizations as “cultural genocide.”
According to previous reports by Epoch Times, Ma Yixiang, the Secretary-General of the Taiwan Forward Foundation, pointed out that in the past, the CCP implemented a “pairing and kinship” program in Xinjiang, where 1.1 million CCP cadres move in with Uighur families for comprehensive surveillance. Now, the legal obligation for parents to instill “love for the Party” in their children appears to be a mainland adaptation of the pairing and kinship program.
As per the new law, ethnic affairs are now included in China’s social governance system, covering provisions related to anti-separatism, border security, risk prevention, and social stability.
Lai Jianping mentioned that the CCP’s political and economic situation is deteriorating, causing a lack of security for its regime, leading to increased fear. Hence, the CCP aims to eliminate all factors that threaten its rule, resorting to brainwashing to serve the needs of authoritarian governance.
Feng Chongyi also stated that the CCP fears for its regime security and has elevated ethnic affairs to the level of national security, making it easier to suppress and control. “When it involves the law, it’s no longer an administrative dispute issue; the nation’s police and military can intervene.”
The new law emphasizes that the “cause of national unity and progress is not subject to external interference.” Feng Chongyi indicated that the CCP’s longstanding policy of racial segregation is evident, showcasing Xi Jinping’s disregard for the emotions of minority ethnic groups and international opinion, ultimately resorting to flagrant behavior.
The new law mentions that overseas organizations and individuals engaging in activities that undermine the so-called “national unity and progress” and cause ethnic divisions will be held legally accountable.
During the media seminar titled “Decoding the Chinese Two Sessions: Policy Signals, Economic Indicators, and Political Language” held by a Taiwan think tank on March 12th, Shen Youzhong, Deputy Director of the Mainland Affairs Council, stated that while the new law seems to target minority groups within China, it actually includes punishment for overseas Chinese citizens. It also mentions the promotion of national unity and the country’s reunification, potentially serving as a “legal basis” to extend governances to cross-strait issues and addressing so-called “Taiwan independence elements.”
Shen Youzhong also expressed concerns that, coupled with the statement of “sinicization of religion” during the two sessions, the CCP may enhance its united front against Taiwan through religious exchanges and extended jurisdiction. Taiwan needs to make early preparations to respond to these developments.
Regarding Taiwan, the new law aims to “enhance the sense of belonging, identity, and honor of Taiwan compatriots to the Chinese nation,” and to “strengthen the understanding of belonging to the Chinese nation and being Chinese.”
On the 12th, Liang Wenjie, Deputy Director of the Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan, criticized the vagueness of the law, stating that the scope of application could be very broad, allowing the CCP to interpret and charge arbitrarily. The Mainland Affairs Council is vigilantly monitoring this law.