The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, China’s fundamental law on ethnic affairs, entered into force on Wednesday, strengthening law-based governance in the country’s ethnic affairs.
Adopted in March by the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, the law is designed to enhance cohesion and common prosperity among all 56 ethnic groups. This comes as the country enters the final decade of its drive to basically achieve modernization by 2035.
China’s ethnic minority population exceeded 125 million, accounting for 8.89 per cent of the country’s total, the 2020 census showed. The degree of exchange and integration among different ethnic groups has reached an unparalleled level, authorities say, driven in part by efforts to eradicate absolute poverty and advance urbanization.
As the law comes into effect, governments at all levels will need to rigorously implement its key priorities, such as promoting extensive exchanges, interactions and integration among all ethnic groups, and advancing their common development, said Yan Qing, a professor at Minzu University of China.
“This will help raise the level of law-based governance in ethnic affairs,” Yan said.
For the first time, the law elaborates, from the perspective of legal theory, on core concepts such as forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and advancing the building of the community of the Chinese nation.
It stipulates that upholding national unity and ethnic solidarity is the responsibility of all Chinese citizens, and prohibits discrimination and suppression against any ethnic group.
It also combats violent terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism, holding organizers, planners, perpetrators, instigators and funders of these activities criminally liable.
The law can be seen as a summary of China’s practical experience in countering separatism, terrorism and radicalization, while also focusing on ethnic unity and progress, said Hu Haifeng, director of the institute of ethnology at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences.
Implementation of the law provides more enduring and standardized legal support for stability and cohesion in regions with diverse ethnic populations, Hu said.
Xinhua
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