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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Culture & Society

China's 'National Unity' Law Sparks Outcry Over Forced Assimilation, Cultural Cleansing Fears

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • China's new law on ethnic unity, effective July 1, strengthens language and cultural assimilation, aiming to forge a strong sense of Chinese national identity.
  • Civil groups criticize the law as forced assimilation and cultural cleansing, arguing it erodes the distinct identities of ethnic minorities and targets regions like Taiwan and Tibet.
  • The law is seen as part of China's broader nationalist agenda and expansionist ambitions, particularly concerning Taiwan's future and the suppression of diverse identities.

A new law in China, the "Law on the Promotion of National Unity and Progress," set to take effect on July 1, is drawing sharp criticism from civil society groups. These organizations, including the Taiwan Association for Human Rights in Tibet, the Economic Democracy Union, and the Hong Kong Borderless Youth, decry the legislation as a tool for forced assimilation and cultural cleansing, rather than genuine unity.

This is not unity, it is forced assimilation and cultural cleansing.

— Civil society groupsCriticizing China's new 'Law on the Promotion of National Unity and Progress.'

The core of the law aims to strengthen language and cultural assimilation, reinforcing the concept of a unified Chinese national identity. Critics argue this will further erode the distinct identities of ethnic minorities, including Tibetans and Uyghurs, potentially leading to the extinction of their cultures, religions, and languages. The law's broad reach extends to education, housing, population movement, community life, culture, tourism, and development policies, all geared towards promoting ethnic "fusion."

Economic Democracy Union think tank convener Lai Chung-chiang stated that the law deliberately exploits the similarity between "Zhonghua Minzu" (Chinese nation) and "Republic of China" to suppress Taiwan's survival space. He emphasized that discussions on China must consider its nationalist context, linking President Xi Jinping's "Five Points" and Beijing's white paper on Taiwan to the goal of national rejuvenation and unification. Lai argued that this narrative directly supports China's unification agenda.

The law deliberately exploits the similarity between 'Zhonghua Minzu' and 'Republic of China' to suppress Taiwan's survival space.

— Lai Chung-chiangEconomic Democracy Union think tank convener, explaining the law's implications for Taiwan.

Su-chou University political science associate professor Chen Fang-yu added that the fundamental logic of Chinese nationalism demands that people in Taiwan and Hong Kong identify solely as "Chinese" or "Han." He shared an experience where Chinese scholars viewed Taiwan's promotion of ethnic equality and diverse identities as "Taiwan independence," illustrating Chinese nationalism's intolerance for multiculturalism and varied self-identifications. The civil groups concluded that China's internal push for uniformity and its external expansionist ambitions pose a direct threat to Taiwan, contrasting China's forced unity with Taiwan's defense of pluralistic values and distinct identities.

Chinese nationalism's core logic demands that people in Taiwan and Hong Kong identify solely as 'Chinese' or 'Han.'

— Chen Fang-yuSu-chou University political science associate professor, on the intolerance of Chinese nationalism.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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