Australia has expressed concern over China’s new Ethnic Unity Law, which is due to come into effect on 1st July. The Australian government said it has directly raised its concerns with Beijing, warning that the legislation could have legal implications for people outside China and may pose risks to human rights and freedom of expression.
The new law aims to strengthen a shared national identity among China’s 55 officially recognised ethnic minority groups, including Tibetans and Uyghurs, while further promoting the use of Mandarin in education, government and public life. It also identifies “violent terrorism”, “ethnic separatism” and “religious extremism” as activities subject to legal sanctions.
One provision of the law has attracted particular attention. It states that individuals or organisations outside China may also face legal liability if they are deemed to have “undermined ethnic unity” or “incited ethnic separatism.”
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Canberra has raised concerns through both bilateral channels and at the United Nations Human Rights Council, while stressing that everyone in Australia is protected under Australian law.
Tibetan advocacy groups have warned that the legislation could further suppress Tibetan culture and identity, and may be used to target overseas Tibetan communities and organisations, raising concerns about transnational repression.
The European Parliament has also called on China to withdraw the legislation, arguing that it could undermine cultural, religious and linguistic freedoms while negatively affecting both ethnic minority communities and EU–China relations. Several United Nations human rights experts have similarly expressed concern, warning that the law may further centralise China’s ethnic policies and reduce the autonomy of minority regions.
Chinese officials have rejected these criticisms, arguing that the legislation has been “misinterpreted and exaggerated.” They maintain that the law is lawful and necessary to safeguard national security and social stability, insisting it will not affect normal international exchanges and cooperation. Beijing has also argued that every country has the right to legislate against separatist activities.
Commentary:
In recent years, China has increasingly promoted the concept of the “great unity of Chinese people at home and abroad,” extending the idea of a shared Chinese national identity to overseas Chinese communities. These narratives have also been reflected in cultural and community events overseas. One recent example was the Chinese National Unity Day and International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations, held at the Whitehorse City Council in Melbourne, which was widely seen as combining cultural exchange with official state narratives. As such messaging increasingly aligns with formal legislation, it is natural that greater attention is being paid to its potential implications for overseas communities.
For Australia, the key challenge lies in maintaining an open and multicultural society while ensuring that foreign legal or political frameworks do not extend their influence over Australian citizens and local communities. The government also faces the task of addressing the potential chilling effect of laws with extraterritorial reach, particularly regarding whether they may place indirect pressure on the freedom of expression and community activities of overseas ethnic minority groups.