China on Thursday passed a law on a “shared” national identity among the country’s 55 ethnic minority groups, a move that critics say will further erode the identity of people who are not majority Han Chinese and risks making anyone challenging that “unity” a separatist punishable by law.
Called “Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress,” the Ethnic Minority Law aims to forge national unity and advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at its core, according to a draft law.
It was adopted at the closing session of the annual assembly of the National People’s Congress, China’s legislative body, by 2,756 votes, with three against and three abstentions, according to a statement. Reuters witness.
The law will come into force on July 1 this year, state media reported.
Officially, China has 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, dominated by the Han Chinese, who make up more than 91% of the country’s 1.4 billion people.
China’s ethnic minority populations – including Tibetans, Mongols, Hui, Manchus and Uighurs – are concentrated in regions that together cover about half of the country’s land area, much of which is rich in natural resources.
The law aims to promote integration between ethnic groups through education, housing, migration, community life, culture, tourism and development policy, the law states.
It states that Mandarin is the basic language of instruction in schools as well as in government and official affairs.
In public places, where Mandarin and minority languages are used together, Mandarin should have “prominence in location, order and other similar considerations,” the draft states.
“The State respects and protects the learning and use of minority languages and scripts,” adds the text.
Religious groups, religious schools and religious venues must adhere to “the direction of the Sinicization of religion in China,” according to the draft.
The law also aims to prohibit interference in marriage choices based on ethnicity, custom or religion, to allow more intermarriage between ethnic groups.
“Integrate the minority”
Allen Carlson, an associate professor of government at Cornell University and an expert on Chinese foreign policy, said the law underscores a move toward assimilation.
“The law makes it clearer than ever that in President Xi Jinping’s PRC, non-Han peoples must do more to integrate with the Han majority and, above all, be loyal to Beijing,” he said, referring to China by the initials of its official name.
Ethnic affairs are integrated into China’s social governance system, with clauses that include anti-separatism, border security, risk prevention and social stability.
An editorial in state-run newspaper China Daily said “the law had gone through a rigorous legislative process, undergoing multiple readings and consultations with lawmakers and representatives of ethnic minority communities.”
“The law emphasizes the protection of cultural traditions and lifestyles of all ethnic groups…it is misleading to claim that ethnic minorities in China must choose between economic development and cultural preservation,” it said.
