China passed a new law on Thursday aimed at strengthening national unity among its 56 ethnic groups by prioritizing the use of Mandarin Chinese, known as Putonghua, in education and public life.

The Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress was approved during the closing session of the National People's Congress, with over 2,760 delegates voting in favor, three opposing and three abstaining. It codifies President Xi Jinping's vision of forging a "strong sense of community for the Chinese nation," requiring Mandarin to serve as the basic language of instruction in schools, government work and official business. In public settings using both Mandarin and minority languages, Mandarin must be given prominence in placement and order.

The legislation mandates that preschool children become proficient in Putonghua and integrates the concept of ethnic unity into school curricula, with textbooks developed by the education and ethnic affairs ministries. It also promotes inter-ethnic interactions through mixed communities, cross-regional exchanges and encourages intermarriage by prohibiting restrictions based on ethnicity or religion. Religious groups must adhere to the Sinicization of religion, aligning practices with socialist values.

National People's Congress Chairman Zhao Leji stated the law will help "prevent and defuse major risks and hidden dangers," linking ethnic affairs to national unity and border security. A China Daily editorial emphasized that the law protects cultural traditions while promoting economic development, rejecting claims of a choice between growth and preservation.

The measure builds on recent revisions to the Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language, effective January 1, 2026, which narrowed bilingual education by requiring Mandarin as the medium for most subjects in minority areas. Similar shifts have occurred in Inner Mongolia since 2020, where Mandarin replaced Mongolian as the primary instructional language, sparking protests, and in Xinjiang and Tibet, where Uyghur and Tibetan-medium education has diminished.

Critics, including Cornell University's Allen Carlson, argue the law requires non-Han groups to integrate more closely with the Han majority, comprising over 91% of China's 1.4 billion people, and demonstrate loyalty to Beijing. Human rights groups warn it could further erode freedoms in Tibet and Xinjiang, legitimizing ongoing policies amid allegations of repression. The law prohibits instilling views detrimental to unity in minors and allows penalties for separatism, including from overseas actors.

China's 55 ethnic minorities, including Uyghurs, Tibetans and Mongolians, are concentrated in resource-rich border regions covering nearly half the country's land. Beijing maintains the policies foster stability and development, denying abuses and attributing past unrest, such as 2009 clashes in Xinjiang, to separatism. The full text of the law has not yet been published.