Chinese President Xi Jinping faces accusations of using legislation to expand repression beyond Tibet’s borders. The new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress in China, set to take effect in July 2026, has drawn criticism from UN experts for potentially enforcing forced assimilation and transnational repression. This law reflects Beijing’s efforts to reshape identities, intimidate diaspora communities, and redefine sovereignty and cultural rights on Chinese terms.
Khedroob Thondup, the Dalai Lama’s nephew, highlighted that Xi Jinping’s Tibet policy is deliberate and emblematic of his broader project to secure China’s borders while erasing cultural pluralism. Under Xi’s leadership, Tibet has undergone deepening securitization, with refugee flows curtailed, militarized border controls tightened, and surveillance technologies extensively deployed. Dissent, even in private digital spaces, has been criminalized under an expanding legal and security framework.
Xi’s Sinicisation campaign, which requires religious groups to align with Chinese culture, has had severe impacts beyond Tibet. Chinese education policies have led to the separation of Tibetan children from families, placing them in Mandarin-instructed boarding schools. Religious practices have been curtailed, with monasteries facing raids and surveillance, and monks subjected to detention and political indoctrination. These measures reflect Xi’s belief that cultural distinctiveness poses a threat to national unity.
The report emphasized that Xi has transformed Tibet into a “crucible of authoritarian control” since coming to power, implementing policies of surveillance, assimilation, securitization, and legal warfare. These measures are seen not only as domestic strategies but also as part of broader moves to consolidate control over China’s frontier regions and promote its authoritarian model globally. Tibet serves as a warning of the future Xi envisions for contested spaces worldwide.
