(Beijing, June 29, 2026) China’s new Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law is drawing international criticism over a provision that critics say could allow Beijing to pursue people outside China for opposing its ethnic policies. The law, enacted in March, takes effect July 1.
At the center of the debate is Article 63, which states that organizations and individuals outside China may be held legally accountable for actions Chinese authorities say undermine ethnic unity or encourage ethnic separatism.
Human rights organizations and several Western news outlets say the measure represents another expansion of Beijing’s efforts to suppress overseas criticism, particularly regarding Tibet, Xinjiang and other ethnic minority regions. Critics describe the provision as a form of “long-arm jurisdiction,” allowing China to claim legal authority beyond its borders.
Chinese officials rejected those concerns during a June 24 news conference. Vice Justice Minister Hu Weilie said Western media had distorted the law and argued that Article 63 reflects China’s sovereign authority to protect national security and oppose separatism.
Hu described the provision as “lawful, necessary, viable” and consistent with international legal practice. Officials also rejected criticism of China’s policies in Xinjiang, Tibet and other minority regions and denied the law is intended to assimilate ethnic minorities.
Critics, however, say the legislation could provide Beijing with another legal tool to pressure critics overseas while expanding state control over ethnic identity, language and religious expression.
The law formally promotes what Beijing describes as “forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.” Articles 15 and 22 give greater legal priority to Mandarin Chinese, a shift critics say could further restrict education and cultural preservation in minority languages such as Tibetan, Uyghur and Mongolian.
The legislation also makes political loyalty a legal obligation, warning against the use of ethnic or religious issues for what authorities describe as “infiltration and sabotage.” Legal analysts say that language could increase risks for some religious organizations and overseas religious exchanges.
By placing political directives of the Chinese Communist Party into law, the legislation also gives government agencies broader social control.
The law has also raised concerns among free speech advocates outside China because its language could be interpreted to include public criticism of Beijing’s ethnic policies made in other countries, including nations where such speech is legally protected.
In a recent Epoch Times opinion column, retired U.S. Navy officer and commentator Stu Cvrk argued that the law extends “an increasingly elaborate body of Chinese extraterritorial laws” that seek to criminalize conduct “that is lawful—and often constitutionally protected (e.g., free speech rights)—in the countries where it takes place.”
He added that Article 63 provides another legal foundation for what he describes as Beijing’s growing system of transnational repression.
How aggressively China will enforce Article 63 outside its borders remains unclear. But legal experts and human rights advocates say the law could discourage overseas criticism of Beijing’s treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, potentially chilling dissent among journalists, activists, academics, religious organizations and members of the Chinese diaspora living in democratic countries.
Gao Zhensai is a special correspondent for ChinaAid News. Founded in 2002, ChinaAid is an international Christian human rights organization committed to promoting religious freedom and the rule of law in China through advocacy, legal support, and international awareness campaigns.