On the morning of June 24, 2026, China’s State Council Information Office held a press conference to introduce the legislative process of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress and the relevant information regarding China’s ethnic affairs.
Ethnic unity is an important foundation for the development of China’s multi-ethnic society. To further clarify the basic principles, responsibilities of all parties, and codes of conduct in ethnic affairs, the state enacted the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress. This law was adopted by a vote at the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress in 2026 and promulgated by Presidential Order signed by President Xi Jinping.
Bayanqolu, Chairman of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress and a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, introduced that the legislative work on this law began in November 2023 and lasted more than two years. During this period, the legislative working group conducted research in 15 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, reviewed more than 1,400 relevant policy documents, laws, and regulations, carried out 19 special studies on key issues, and referred to legislation in relevant fields from 46 countries. The draft law also solicited opinions from relevant departments, deputies to the National People’s Congress, and the general public on multiple occasions. It was made available for public comment twice, receiving suggestions from nearly 50,000 person-times.
In terms of its content, the law addresses the basic principles, responsibilities of various entities, codes of conduct, and relevant legal liabilities concerning the cause of ethnic unity and progress, focusing on shared cultural identity among all ethnic groups, their daily interactions, and economic and social development. It provides a clear legal basis for handling ethnic affairs. The law also incorporates General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work and provides legal interpretations of core concepts such as forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.
Bayanqolu stated that this law has a preamble, making it the first law in more than 30 years to include one. The preamble explains the legislative background and basic principles, while the main body sets out provisions on specific matters. By incorporating relevant requirements into legal provisions, the law further clarifies the responsibilities and codes of conduct of all parties involved in ethnic work and provides a legal basis for protecting the legitimate rights and interests of people of all ethnic groups.
What important theoretical and practical achievements has the Party’s ethnic work made in the new era, and how are these achievements reflected in the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress?
The most important theoretical innovation achieved in the Party’s ethnic work in the new era is the formation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work, which are concentrated in the “Twelve Musts.” These systematically answer fundamental questions concerning the direction and path of ethnic work in the new era and provide theoretical guidance and a practical basis for ethnic work.
Under the guidance of these thoughts, China’s ethnic work has made new progress. From 2012 to 2025, the gross regional product of the five autonomous regions increased from 3.25 trillion yuan to 8.66 trillion yuan. The number of ethnic minority migrants exceeded 33 million, and more than one-third of the ethnic minority population lived in cities and areas where different ethnic groups live intermixed. Exchanges, interactions, and integration among all ethnic groups have continued to deepen.
The Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress translates these important thoughts into legal provisions and incorporates them throughout the preamble, general provisions, and various chapters. It establishes institutional arrangements in areas including forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, promoting exchanges, interactions, and integration among all ethnic groups, and advancing common prosperity and development. It thus provides the rule-of-law safeguards for the cause of ethnic unity and progress.
What progress has China made in building its legal system concerning ethnic affairs? What is the position of the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress within this system, and how is it related to and different from the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy?
China’s system of laws and regulations concerning ethnic affairs is centered on the Constitution. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Constitution has continuously improved its provisions on ethnic equality, ethnic unity, regional ethnic autonomy, and the common development of all ethnic groups. The Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy, enacted in 1984, further clarified the specific contents of the system of regional ethnic autonomy. In 2018, the term “Chinese nation” was included in the Constitution for the first time, providing a fundamental legal basis for ethnic work in the new era.
In recent years, China has continued to improve legislation concerning ethnic affairs. In addition to the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress, more than ten other laws, including the Organic Law of Local People’s Congresses and Local People’s Governments, the Law on Deputies to the National People’s Congress and to Local People’s Congresses at Various Levels, the Legislation Law, the Patriotic Education Law, and the Law on Publicity and Education on the Rule of Law, contain relevant provisions on forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. Various localities have also enacted local regulations to promote ethnic unity and progress. Together, these constitute the system of legal norms governing ethnic affairs.
The Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress is a fundamental law for implementing relevant constitutional provisions in the new era, handling ethnic affairs, and carrying out ethnic work. It was deliberated and adopted by the National People’s Congress and systematically regulates ethnic relations and the cause of ethnic unity and progress nationwide, providing a fundamental legal basis for related work.
The Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress and the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy are both important laws concerning ethnic affairs, but they focus on different aspects. The former focuses on ethnic relations and the cause of ethnic unity and progress nationwide, while the latter primarily regulates the system of regional ethnic autonomy, autonomous powers, and the relationship between ethnic autonomous areas and the central government. The two laws complement each other and jointly form the rule-of-law foundation for the governance of ethnic affairs in China.
After the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress comes into effect, what specific measures will the National Ethnic Affairs Commission take to achieve practical results in building a shared spiritual homeland for all ethnic groups, promoting exchanges, interactions, and integration, and advancing common prosperity and development?
The National Ethnic Affairs Commission is working with relevant departments to formulate the 15th Five-Year Plan for ethnic unity and progress. In accordance with the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress, it will advance related work in three areas: building a shared spiritual homeland for all ethnic groups, promoting exchanges, interactions, and integration among all ethnic groups, and advancing their common prosperity and development.
In terms of cultural development, efforts will be made to strengthen patriotic education and historical and cultural education for young people, promote the popularization of the national common language and writing system, and enhance the identification of people of all ethnic groups with Chinese culture.
To promote exchanges among all ethnic groups, efforts will be made to deepen initiatives to foster ethnic unity and progress, promote the integration of culture and tourism, advance the development of communities where people of different ethnic groups live intermixed, and help new urban residents from ethnic minority areas better integrate into urban life through relevant initiatives. These efforts will create conditions for people of all ethnic groups to study, work, and live together.
To promote common development, regional support policies will be improved, the initiative to promote prosperity in border areas and improve the lives of their residents will be deepened, and industries with distinctive local advantages and livelihood projects will be developed. These efforts will promote high-quality development in ethnic minority areas and continuously improve people’s lives.
In addition, after five years of compilation, the National Ethnic Affairs Commission has completed A History of Exchanges, Interactions, and Integration among the Chinese Nation. The work consists of 11 volumes and more than 4.2 million Chinese characters and is scheduled for publication in the near future. It systematically reviews the development of the Chinese nation and provides new foundational materials for related historical research.
What specific measures will the Ministry of Justice take to conduct public legal education on the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress?
The Ministry of Justice will carry out public legal education on the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress in three areas.
First, it will implement the system of responsibility for public legal education, promote the integration of publicity about the law into the entire process of legislation, law enforcement, judicial proceedings, and legal services, and release authoritative interpretations through media platforms.
Second, it will conduct themed publicity campaigns. In conjunction with activities such as Constitution Publicity Week and Ethnic Unity and Progress Publicity Week, it will organize volunteer legal educators to visit communities, villages, and schools to publicize relevant laws and regulations, while promoting the integration of rule-of-law culture with ethnic cultures.
Third, it will improve the effectiveness of public legal education by incorporating the relevant law into legal studies for leading officials and rule-of-law education for young people. In conjunction with initiatives to establish model grassroots units, it will also integrate legal publicity with grassroots governance in accordance with the law, thereby promoting exchanges, interactions, and integration among all ethnic groups.
How should we view claims by some Western media outlets linking the promotion of exchanges, interactions, and integration among all ethnic groups with issues such as “forced labor”? What legal measures will China take to protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers of all ethnic groups who seek employment or start businesses across regions?
Article 25 of the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress explicitly protects the legitimate rights and interests of citizens who seek employment or start businesses across regions. It emphasizes that employment must be based on the principles of voluntary choice, compliance with the law, and freedom to come and go. The aim is to broaden employment channels and promote exchanges, interactions, and integration among all ethnic groups.
Relevant laws prohibit forced labor, employment discrimination, and restrictions on personal freedom. They also protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers of all ethnic groups through measures such as labor rights protection and legal aid. In response to external claims of “forced labor” and “forced displacement” in Xinjiang, relevant responses emphasize that the transfer of labor for employment in Xinjiang is based on individual willingness and aims to increase employment opportunities, raise incomes, and improve skills.
Over the past five years, Xinjiang has recorded a cumulative increase of 2.392 million urban jobs, while agricultural workers have undertaken 16.1 million person-times of work outside their home areas. The annual average growth rates of per capita disposable income for urban and rural residents were 5.3% and 8.1%, respectively. These measures aim to expand employment while protecting workers’ legitimate rights and interests.
Why does the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress emphasize promoting the popularization of the national common language and writing system? How will it also protect the rights of all ethnic groups to use and develop their own languages and writing systems?
Language is an important tool for communication, and a shared language helps promote understanding and interaction. There are more than 200 countries and regions, over 2,500 ethnic groups, and more than 7,000 languages around the world. Promoting a common language and writing system is a fundamental task in national development in many countries. At present, more than 100 sovereign states have established the status of a common or official language through their constitutions or other laws. China’s Constitution explicitly stipulates that the state promotes the nationwide use of Putonghua, or Standard Chinese. In December 2025, the Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language completed its latest revision, further providing legal safeguards for related work.
Promoting the popularization of the national common language and writing system helps improve the scientific and cultural literacy of people of all ethnic groups, promotes their common development and shared progress toward modernization, and helps forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. Article 15 of the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress explicitly stipulates that the state comprehensively promotes the popularization of the national common language and writing system. No organization or individual may obstruct citizens from learning or using the national common language and writing system. The law also establishes provisions on the use of the national common language and writing system in school education, official activities, and public places.
At the same time, promoting the national common language and writing system does not conflict with protecting ethnic minorities’ rights to learn and use their own languages and writing systems. The Constitution and the Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language explicitly protect the freedom of all ethnic groups to use and develop their own languages and writing systems. The Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress also stipulates that the state respects and protects ethnic minorities’ rights to learn and use their own languages and writing systems, supports their standardization and development in the fields of standards and information technology, and encourages all ethnic groups to learn one another’s languages and writing systems.
In practice, these rights are also protected. There are 442 ethnic minority deputies to the National People’s Congress, accounting for 14.85% of the total number of deputies. Through measures such as providing documents in ethnic minority language versions, meetings of the National People’s Congress ensure that ethnic minority deputies can perform their duties using languages and writing systems with which they are familiar. For example, during the deliberation of the draft Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress at the National People’s Congress, versions in seven ethnic minority languages and writing systems were provided: Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur, Kazakh, Korean, Yi, and Zhuang.
Promoting the popularization of the national common language and writing system and protecting the rights of ethnic minorities to use their own languages and writing systems are both requirements explicitly stipulated in the Constitution and the law. They are not in opposition to each other.
How should we view claims by some overseas organizations that interpret the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress as an attempt to “assimilate ethnic minorities” and call for human rights sanctions against China?
Enacting the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress reflects the common aspirations of people of all ethnic groups across the country. Since the beginning of the new era, deputies to the National People’s Congress have submitted a cumulative total of 700 proposals and suggestions related to this issue. After the law was passed, it received recognition and support from people of all ethnic groups across the country, as well as positive assessments from friendly individuals, media outlets, and institutions in many countries. China firmly opposes statements by certain overseas organizations that disregard the development achievements of China’s ethnic minority areas and make unfounded accusations against China’s ethnic policies and rule-of-law development.
China has always attached great importance to ethnic unity and the development of ethnic minority areas, promoting equality, unity, common progress, and development among all ethnic groups. During the campaign to eradicate poverty, all 420 impoverished counties in ethnic autonomous areas, all five autonomous regions, and all 31.21 million impoverished people in Guizhou, Yunnan, and Qinghai were lifted out of poverty as scheduled. All ethnic groups worked together to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Infrastructure and public services in ethnic minority areas, including education, healthcare, transportation, water and electricity supplies, and information networks, have continued to improve.
In terms of cultural preservation, the state has continued to invest funds in protecting cultural heritage sites such as the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple, and Norbulingka; translating, organizing, and publishing ancient works such as Kutadgu Bilig and the Compendium of the Turkic Dialects; and carrying out emergency protection and restoration of more than 3,000 precious cultural relics. Of the 45 Chinese projects inscribed on UNESCO’s Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage, more than one-third are related to ethnic minority cultures.
The Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress incorporates the practical experience and relevant institutional measures of the cause of ethnic unity and progress in the new era into the rule-of-law framework. It clarifies overall requirements and key tasks and provides legal support for safeguarding equality, unity, common development, and progress among all ethnic groups. This law represents a legal summary of the practical experience of addressing ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics.
China will continue to unswervingly follow the correct path for addressing ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics, promote all ethnic groups in working together in unity and striving for common prosperity and development, and pool strength for building a strong country and advancing national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization. China will also provide a reference for other countries around the world in addressing ethnic issues.
How should we respond to foreign media outlets that interpret the provisions on extraterritorial application in the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress as “extraterritorial jurisdiction” or “long-arm jurisdiction”?
Article 63 of the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress stipulates that organizations and individuals outside the territory of the People’s Republic of China that engage in acts undermining ethnic unity and progress or fomenting ethnic separatism shall be held legally liable in accordance with the law. In response to certain Western media outlets’ distorted interpretations of this provision as “extraterritorial jurisdiction” or “long-arm jurisdiction,” relevant responses emphasize that the provision is consistent with the basic principles of international law and with the legislative practices of various countries in safeguarding national security and social order.
Safeguarding national unity, territorial integrity, and social stability is an important responsibility of sovereign states. Article 63 aims to prevent and punish, in accordance with the law, unlawful acts that undermine ethnic unity or foment ethnic separatism, thereby safeguarding ethnic harmony, social stability, and national security.
Ethnic unity is an important foundation for national prosperity and development and serves the common interests of people of all ethnic groups. In the face of unlawful activities that incite ethnic tensions, undermine ethnic unity, or endanger national security, the law provides an institutional basis for pursuing legal liability and further clarifies that the cause of ethnic unity and progress shall not be subject to interference by external forces.
This provision is consistent with the principles of jurisdiction established by China’s relevant laws. The pursuit of legal liability for relevant acts will be carried out in accordance with the law and regulations, prudently and in a standardized manner, safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, as well as the legitimate rights and interests of people of all ethnic groups. At the same time, it will not affect normal cultural and people-to-people exchanges, academic discussions, or economic and trade cooperation.
How should we view claims by some foreign media outlets linking boarding schools in Tibet with “forced assimilation” and “human rights violations”? What are the reasons for establishing boarding schools in Tibet, what results have they achieved, and how will the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress protect the right to education of people of all ethnic groups?
Foreign media reports concerning boarding schools in Tibet do not correspond to the facts.
First, boarding schools reflect educational equity and ethnic equality. China’s Compulsory Education Law stipulates that boarding schools are intended to ensure that school-age children living in scattered settlements can receive compulsory education, and these schools serve children of all ethnic groups.
Second, boarding schools do not mean closed management or military-style administration. Whether students live at school is a voluntary choice made by students and their parents. Students can return home on weekends, public holidays, and during winter and summer vacations, and parents may visit them or take them home at any time.
Third, boarding schools respond to the actual needs of farmers and herders in Tibet. Tibet has a vast territory and a widely dispersed population. Boarding schools can reduce the costs of attending school and provide students with more convenient educational conditions.
In old Tibet, education was extremely underdeveloped. The enrollment rate of school-age children was less than 2%, and more than 95% of the population was illiterate. By 2024, the enrollment rate of school-age children in Tibet had reached 99.98%, and the retention rate in compulsory education had reached 96.94%.
Some countries once forced Indigenous children to attend boarding schools and suppressed their cultural identity. This is fundamentally different from China’s boarding school system. In addition, the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress contains provisions on language education, the use of teaching materials, student exchanges, and public services, further safeguarding the equal right to education of all ethnic groups.
Source: people, xinhua, china daily, sohu
