China's new ethnic unity law shifts Beijing's focus from specific ethnic matters to assimilation, prompting criticism from the United States and European Union over forced assimilation.
China's new law on ethnic unity signals a shift in Beijing's focus from handling specific ethnic matters to assimilation, according to a Party ethnologist.
An article about the law published in the Beijing Daily on Monday sought to clarify the transition. “The enactment of the law means that the focus of China’s ethnic work is shifting from ‘transactional governance’ to ‘holistic governance’ focused on the building of the Chinese national community,” it said.
The article was written by Chen Shanshan, an ethnologist from the Central Party School. The law has triggered concerns from the United States and the European Union about forced assimilation and the potential for “extraterritorial application”.