A group of 14 US House members has called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to denounce China’s new Ethnic Unity Law, criticizing it as a tool for forced assimilation and repression of ethnic minorities like Tibetans and Uyghurs. Led by Congressmen Jim McGovern, Chris Smith, and Ro Khanna, the bipartisan appeal was made just before the law’s implementation on July 1. The lawmakers highlighted concerns over the law’s promotion of Chinese Communist Party’s assimilation campaign against non-Han Chinese communities.
The legislators emphasized that China’s Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, passed by the National People’s Congress, undermines regional ethnic autonomy and enforces assimilation policies. They expressed worries that the legislation extends these policies nationwide, subordinating minority languages, cultures, and identities to a Han Chinese-dominated national identity. Additionally, the lawmakers raised alarm over the law’s extraterritorial provisions, potentially targeting individuals outside China, including Tibetans, Uyghurs, and democracy advocates.
In their letter to Rubio, the group urged the US Department of State to publicly reject the law and engage in dialogues with China and other governments to address the issue. They stressed the need to protect minority-language education, religious freedom, and cultural preservation, counter Chinese transnational repression, and enforce the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The lawmakers also called for allied countries to adopt similar measures to combat the impact of China’s policies on ethnic minorities.
