On April 30, the European Parliament adopted a China-related resolution, making groundless accusations against China’s laws and ethnic policies. It claimed that the newly enacted Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China, including the promotion of the standard spoken and written Chinese language, is intended to “assimilate” ethnic minorities. This is political manipulation that disregards facts and the rule of law, as well as a gross interference in China’s internal affairs.

If one moves beyond the preconceived political bias and examines both history and reality, the right and wrong of the matter are in fact perfectly clear.

From a historical perspective, China’s ethnic policies are deeply rooted in its own soil.

The Western Han Dynasty established the Western Regions Frontier Command, which marked the beginning of effective governance over the areas. During the Tang Dynasty, Princess Wencheng married into Xizang, which greatly promoted integration between the Han and Tibetan peoples. Then, the ancient Tea-Horse Road emerged during the Tang and Song dynasties, fostering mutually beneficial development among ethnic groups in Yunnan, Xizang, and Sichuan through trade. The Torghut Mongols made a resolute return to the motherland in the 18th century. The facts demonstrate a clear, profound, and enduring historical trajectory in which the Chinese people of all ethnic groups are united in diversity.

The prosperity and development of all ethnic groups—already closely connected by blood and history—has been achieved through unity and integration, and will continue to be sustained by them. This represents a valuable legacy forged through thousands of years of continuous practice and accumulated experience. Recognizing this in the form of policy and law is both natural and necessary. If the European Parliament fails to see this, it is either pretending not to know and engaging in malicious smears, or it simply knows nothing about it.

From a comparative perspective, China’s legal framework is consistent with widely accepted international practice.

The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China has its own distinctive features and advantages, while also aligning with mature international practices. It conforms to international norms and is supported by relevant legal precedents around the world.

For example, promoting a standard national language is a common choice among sovereign states. France has the Toubon Law, requiring French to be used in public spaces. Russia has enacted the Law on the State Language of the Russian Federation to reinforce the status of Russian as the state language. India stipulates in its Constitution that both Hindi and English are official languages and actively promotes their use. Japan has the Act on the Accrediting of Japanese-Language Educational Institutes to Ensure Appropriate and Reliable Implementation of Japanese-Language Education. Qatar has the Law No.7 of 2019 on the protection of Arabic language. Cambodia has national policies related to the Khmer language. The list goes on.

As certain scholars have pointed out, “establishing a standard national language through legislation has become a common practice in many multi-ethnic countries, and such a choice falls entirely within the scope of national sovereignty.” Using law to break down language barriers and promote educational access and resource sharing has become an international norm. Yet China’s related policies and legal measures are falsely labeled as “assimilation”. This is nothing less than blatant “blindness” and double standards.

From the perspective of practical outcomes, the achievements of China’s ethnic affairs governance are tangible and substantial.

China’s laws and ethnic policies, aimed at common prosperity and development, are drawn from practical experience and have delivered concrete results in real development.

Facts speak for themselves. In Xinjiang, regional GDP grew from RMB 1.231 billion in 1955 to RMB 2,053.408 billion in 2024. Highway mileage has exceeded 230,000 kilometers; free health checkups for all residents have been realized; and 15 years of free education have achieved full coverage. In Xizang, regional GDP was only RMB 130 million in 1951, but surpassed RMB 270 billion in 2024. The Fuxing high-speed train now runs across snow-covered mountains, 4G networks cover villages across the region, precious classics such as The Epic of King Gesar have been rescued and compiled, and more than 2,700 representative items, including Thangka painting, Tibetan Opera, and Tibetan medicine, have been included in cultural heritage lists at various levels.

Economic development has gone hand in hand with cultural preservation and ecological improvement. The flow of market resources has created broader employment opportunities and more choices, all of which help safeguard people’s rights to subsistence and development. David Lopez, a consultant from the International Association for Human Rights and Social Development, stated frankly after visiting Xinjiang that the claims spread in Western societies that Xinjiang’s indigenous people have no rights in labor, ethnicity, state affairs, or education are completely groundless.

China is a unified multi-ethnic country, and all ethnic groups maintain a relationship featuring equality, solidarity, mutual assistance and harmony. The lessons of history and experience as well as proven facts and concrete achievements, all point to and affirm the sound approach of China’s ethnic affairs governance. The European Parliament’s deliberate disregard and malicious smearing of these realities is nothing more than an attempt to endorse and support anti-China separatist forces and to disrupt China’s development process.

History will not be written by prejudice. China and Europe share broad common interests. Taking concrete steps to safeguard the sound and steady development of China-EU relations is the right path forward.