The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, China’s fundamental law on ethnic affairs, entered into force on Wednesday, strengthening law-based governance in the country’s ethnic affairs.
Adopted in March by the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, the law is designed to enhance cohesion and common prosperity among all 56 ethnic groups. This comes as the country enters the final decade of its drive to basically achieve modernization by 2035.
China’s ethnic minority population exceeded 125 million, accounting for 8.89 percent of the country’s total, the 2020 census showed. The degree of exchange and integration among different ethnic groups has reached an unparalleled level, authorities say, driven in part by efforts to eradicate absolute poverty and advance urbanization.
As the law comes into effect, governments at all levels will need to rigorously implement its key priorities, such as promoting extensive exchanges, interactions and integration among all ethnic groups, and advancing their common development, said Yan Qing, a professor at Minzu University of China.
“This will help raise the level of law-based governance in ethnic affairs,” Yan said.
For the first time, the law elaborates, from the perspective of legal theory, on core concepts such as forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and advancing the building of the community of the Chinese nation.
It stipulates that upholding national unity and ethnic solidarity is the responsibility of all Chinese citizens, and prohibits discrimination and suppression against any ethnic group.
It also combats violent terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism, holding organizers, planners, perpetrators, instigators and funders of these activities criminally liable.
The law can be seen as a summary of China’s practical experience in countering separatism, terrorism and radicalization, while also focusing on ethnic unity and progress, said Hu Haifeng, director of the institute of ethnology at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences.
Implementation of the law provides more enduring and standardized legal support for stability and cohesion in regions with diverse ethnic populations, Hu said.
Experts believe that the law represents a legitimate sovereign measure to protect Chinese people from disruption by separatist forces as it establishes clear boundaries for all actors, including overseas institutions, in line with widely accepted international norms.
It also offers a practical reference for multi-ethnic countries around the world, demonstrating that such countries can effectively narrow development gaps and safeguard cultural diversity while avoiding the pitfalls of ethnic conflict, said Li Xuan, a professor at the Center for Tibetan Studies of Sichuan University.
The law sets out supportive measures on cultural integration, social intermingling, and economic development in ethnic minority regions.
Specific provisions direct central and local governments to strengthen infrastructure, foster industrial growth, ensure better access to public services, and intensify efforts to protect the environment, among other measures.
Li said that the law provides equal legal guarantee for employment, entrepreneurship, and cultural rights for all 56 ethnic groups in China, and ensures that no ethnic group is left behind in the country’s modernization process.
Many ethnic minority communities reside in mountainous areas, far-off regions or other historically underdeveloped parts of China. Benefiting from China’s poverty alleviation drive and ongoing rural revitalization efforts, ethnic minority regions have enjoyed rapid economic and social development.
During China’s eight-year campaign to eliminate absolute poverty, which declared victory in 2021, all 420 poverty-stricken counties in ethnic autonomous areas and all 28 ethnic groups with relatively small populations shook off poverty.
The combined GDP of the five autonomous regions, which are home to large ethnic minority populations — Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Xizang, Ningxia, and Xinjiang — grew at an average annual rate of 5.6 percent from 2020 to 2024, outpacing the national average.
The law stipulates that the state shall promote the standard spoken and written Chinese language, while also respecting and safeguarding the right to study and use ethnic minority languages.
“The law elevates into institutional norms both the promotion of a common language among different ethnic groups and the preservation of their respective cultural roots, enabling the cultures of all ethnic groups to flourish within the big family of the Chinese nation,” said Zhu Yafeng, an associate professor at Xinjiang University.
Authorities have promised to strengthen public education of the legislation and follow up on the formulation and revision of local-level regulations.
“The National Ethnic Affairs Commission is working with relevant departments to formulate a five-year plan for promoting ethnic unity and progress,” said Chen Ruifeng, head of the commission, adding that efforts to fully implement the law will figure prominently in the plan.
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