China’s new ‘ethnic unity’ law mandates Mandarin in education and public life, drawing criticism for marginalising minority groups and their languages.
BEIJING: China’s legislature has formally approved a new ‘ethnic unity’ law that critics warn will accelerate the assimilation of minority groups and further marginalise their languages and cultures.
The National People’s Congress passed the legislation, which promotes Mandarin as the ‘national common language’ for education, official business, and public spaces across the country.
Rights advocates describe the law as a significant departure from past policies that guaranteed minorities the right to use their own languages, a principle established during the Deng Xiaoping era.
Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated the new legislation formalises policies to force assimilation into the Han majority, a practice the government has been accused of for decades.
The law criminalises engaging in ‘violent terrorist activities, ethnic separatist activities, or religious extremist activities’ with a stated aim to strengthen social cohesion during a period of unprecedented change.
It mandates that all educational institutions use Mandarin as the principal teaching language, requiring teenagers to have a basic grasp of it upon completing compulsory education.
While no minority languages are specifically named, the law will significantly impact Uyghur, Mongolian, and Tibetan speakers in regions where government policies already enforce Mandarin instruction.
Erika Nguyen from PEN America argued the law deliberately targets spaces where children encounter their mother tongue, stating, ‘The intent being to sever children’s ties with their identity, history, and culture.’
A recent joint report by PEN America and the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center found over 80% of Mongolian language websites in China have been censored or banned.
SMHRIC director Enghebatu Togochog warned that mandating Mandarin fluency in public life economically marginalises Mongolians by making Chinese a gatekeeper for jobs and professional advancement.
The law’s provisions also extend beyond China’s borders, applying to overseas Chinese communities and warning that individuals abroad who undermine ethnic unity or incite separatism will be held legally liable.
It calls for strengthening ties with overseas Chinese while simultaneously threatening legal action against those perceived to threaten ethnic unity from outside the country.