China passes law cementing forced assimilation of ethnic minorities

China’s full National People’s Congress enacted the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress on July 1, formally embedding forced cultural assimilation into the legal system. While the constitution still names China a multinational state, the statute makes Mandarin the core language of education and official life, requires public spaces to display shared Chinese symbols, and obliges parents to inculcate loyalty to the party and the nation.

The measure consolidates a decade of policies that have replaced minority-language schooling, expanded party control over religion and recast minority histories as part of a single Chinese civilization. Analysts such as Uradyn Bulag label the campaign “politicide,” targeting Mongols, Tibetans and Uyghurs through camps, boarding schools and language bans. Violations of the law, even by foreign individuals or groups, can lead to administrative or criminal sanctions. The law’s passage signals that any genuine autonomy for China’s 56 recognized minorities is now legally hollow, raising concerns about human-rights abuses and long-term stability.