Never again’ lost - China’s ethnic unity law alarms minority rights

China’s draft Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, submitted to the National People’s Congress on September 8, 2025, has sparked global alarm. The 62-article law seeks to enforce ideological conformity under the Chinese Communist Party and push for the assimilation of ethnic minorities, threatening cultural, religious, and human rights. When the gas chambers of Nazi Germany were discovered, the industrialized mass murders of Jews delivered a painful lesson: “Never again.” Seven decades later, atrocities and large-scale crimes still persist across the globe, yet the world often remains silent. Never stay silent on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Never stay silent on Israel’s war in Gaza. And yet, in the case of China’s treatment of minorities, particularly Uighurs and Tibetans, silence persists. They are not Chinese. They don’t want to look Chinese, but they are forced to act like Chinese.

The draft law codifies measures to strengthen national unity. Children must be taught loyalty to the Communist Party and the motherland, and parents are required to instill the same values. Standard Chinese is emphasized to reinforce a unified national identity. Minorities are expected to adopt Han Chinese customs, often at the expense of their languages, traditions, and beliefs. Minority communities are closely monitored to ensure compliance with ideological goals.

China officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups, with Han Chinese making up 91–92 percent of the population, roughly 1.31 billion people. The remaining 8–9 percent, about 120–130 million people, belong to 55 minority groups, including Uighurs, Tibetans, Hui, Mongols, Zhuang, Manchu, Miao, Yi, Dong, Koreans, Tujia, and Bouyei. Minorities are concentrated in autonomous regions and border provinces, giving them local significance despite being small nationally.

Ethnic minorities face systemic pressures. Languages, festivals, and traditions are suppressed. Islamic, Buddhist, and Christian practices face tight regulation, with re-education programs especially targeting Uighurs. Minority communities are heavily monitored, and dissent or activism is criminalized. Minorities often have less access to education, jobs, and economic opportunities. Forced detentions, restrictions on movement, and ideological indoctrination are widespread. Sinicization policies force minorities to adopt Han culture against their will, eroding identity.

Historically, minorities in ancient China enjoyed relative autonomy, preserving culture and religion. Modern policies now prioritize national unity over diversity, enforcing assimilation and suppressing cultural expression, language, and religious freedom. Ethnic minorities who once thrived with their own traditions now face systematic pressures to conform to the dominant Han culture.

Human Rights Watch warns that the draft law could legitimize repression, erase minority languages, restrict religion, and extend ideological control beyond China’s borders. The United States continues to criticize mass detentions, forced labor, and suppression of religious freedom, particularly in Xinjiang and Tibet. Despite Uighurs being predominantly Muslim, many Islamic leaders have remained silent. The contrast is stark compared to their vocal advocacy for Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and India. Political and economic stakes, restricted media, geopolitical calculations, and selective advocacy explain this silence, as criticizing China could jeopardize trade, investment, and citizens living there.

The draft ethnic unity law represents a shift from historical autonomy to enforced assimilation, forcing minorities to act Chinese against their will. The lessons of history demand vigilance: the world must never stay silent on large-scale crimes, whether in Europe, the Middle East, or Asia. The Uighurs, Tibetans, and other minorities in China deserve protection, cultural freedom, and recognition. If history teaches anything, it is this: “Never again” cannot remain lost in history.