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In a significant move to bolster national cohesion, China’s top legislative body approved the “Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law” on Thursday. This new legislation aims to solidify Beijing’s efforts in promoting a unified national identity and further integrating its diverse ethnic groups.
The law was enacted at the conclusion of the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress, which took place during the country’s annual parliamentary meetings in Beijing. The passage of this law marks a formal step in institutionalizing these long-standing objectives.
As reported by state media outlet Xinhua, the law is designed to enshrine the principle of nurturing a strong community ethos among the Chinese nation into official state policy. This initiative is set to focus on enhancing the quality of development in regions with significant ethnic minority populations.
Furthermore, the legislation seeks to advance what Chinese officials refer to as common prosperity across the country’s 56 ethnic groups. This effort underscores the government’s commitment to fostering equitable growth and development among all communities.
In a symbolic gesture of unity, ethnic minority delegates attended the opening session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 4, 2026. This gathering highlighted the ongoing dialogue and commitment to ethnic integration and progress. (Vincent Thian/AP)
Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said the measure was aimed at advancing the governance of ethnic affairs under the rule of law.
“The people of each ethnic group, all organizations and groups of the country, armed forces, every Party and social organization, every company, must forge a common consciousness of the Chinese nation according to law and the constitution, and take the responsibility of building this consciousness,” the proposed law reads, according to a translation from The Associated Press.
Academics and outside observers say the provision could undermine the cultural identity of ethnic minorities by requiring the use of Mandarin in compulsory education and establishing a legal basis to pursue individuals or organizations outside China whose actions are deemed to undermine “ethnic unity,” the AP reported.
Xi Jinping, China’s president, center, applauds during the closing session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 12, 2026. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
China’s population stands at 1.44 billion as of November 2020, according to the Seventh National Population Census released in 2021 by the National Bureau of Statistics.
Of that total, 91.11% were Han Chinese and 8.89% belonged to ethnic minority groups.
Delegates wearing traditional clothing react at the closing session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in Beijing, March 11, 2026. (Kevin Frayer/Getty)
James Leibold, a professor at Australia’s La Trobe University, told the AP the new measure “puts a death nail in the party’s original promise of meaningful autonomy.”
Rayhan Asat, a legal scholar at Harvard University, also criticized the law, saying it “serves as a strategic tool and gives the pretext to government to commit all sorts of human rights violations.”