China’s ethnic unity law denounced as ‘forced assimilation’ by rights groups

China has enacted a new ethnic unity law designed to forge a shared national identity, strengthening Mandarin as the official language. But human rights organizations, the United Nations, and Taiwan argue the law will erode the rights of Uyghurs, Tibetans, and other ethnic minorities already facing what critics call systematic persecution. The law could also allow Beijing to pursue political dissidents abroad. Critics warn that what Beijing presents as national unity is, in effect, forced assimilation.

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