China Approves Ethnic Unity Law Prioritizing Mandarin

China has approved a comprehensive 'ethnic unity' law aimed at fostering integration among its 56 officially recognized ethnic groups. The legislation, passed on Thursday during the annual National People's Congress session, mandates Mandarin as the primary language of instruction in schools and for official business, significantly reducing the use of minority languages like Tibetan, Uyghur, and Mongolian.

The law, titled 'Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress,' seeks to integrate education, housing, migration, community life, culture, tourism, and development policy. It requires that Mandarin be given prominence in public settings where both Mandarin and minority languages are used. The legislation also stipulates that religious groups must adhere to the direction of the 'Sinicization of religion' in China.

Critics argue that the law will further erode the rights and cultural identities of ethnic minorities, forcing them to assimilate into Han Chinese culture. Magnus Fiskesjö, an associate professor of anthropology at Cornell University, described the law as a dramatic policy shift aimed at suppressing ethnic diversity formally recognized since 1949.

Beijing defends the law as crucial for promoting modernization through greater unity and improving job prospects for minority groups. The Chinese government has long been accused of restricting the rights of minority ethnic groups in regions like Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia. Critics say that assimilation policies have often been forced on people in these areas, accelerating under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The law also provides a legal basis to prosecute parents or guardians who instill what it describes as 'detrimental' views in children which would affect ethnic harmony. It calls for 'mutually embedded community environments,' which some analysts believe could result in the breakup of minority-heavy neighborhoods.