China's Ethnic Unity Law

Why it's a good thing despite Western media

Everyone who knows me, knows that I’m a big fan of Xinjiang and here I am again, in a place my wife visited last year but, until yesterday afternoon, I had not. This is Kuqa, it’s a hugely ethnic region and you can find out a lot more about it by searching Baidu, or any other Chinese website, I’ll put a link here to a page which is actually accurate because if you search google, the amount of misinformation you will get is enormous. This was a garrison town of the Han Dynasty and that was about 200 years before Christ was born. so, let’s get the idea that any place called East Turkestan exists and that China has tried to steal it from the Uyghurs,, 99% of Uyghurs will disagree with you, a few who are paid by Washington will tell you this story but the fact is, if they were to return, they’d see what I see, Uyghurs all over the place doing well and their culture fully embraced by the non-Uyghur populations

It’s famous for ironware among other things and for that reason was fought for several times in history, it was Tibetan for a while, it was Han again, then around 700AD, the Uyghurs came here from Turpan in the East of the region and not only conquered but colonised several cities here. And it’s here they remain, this is a heavily populated Uyghur region but it’s also made up of small minorities of Hui, Kazakhs, Mongols, Tibetans, and others. however, unless you know what to look for, you’d be forgiven for believing this is 100% Uyghur, it’s not, Uyghurs make up by far the largest number, there are also thousands of oil field workers in the region who are not permanent, although some do remain here and settle down, I can’t blame them, it’s a nice place.

Which brings me to a point that’s doing the rounds of Western narrative purveyors, also known as mainstream media. There is a new ethnic minority law, and it’s a good one, it is not attempting to create a “unified Han culture”, it’s actually doing the opposite. I see it with my own eyes, I’ve been cycling through Mongolian, Tibetan and predominantly Uyghur regions butso I know the reality and the policy are aligned.

To quote from the State Council Information Office press release a few weeks ago: China is seeking to bolster the legal foundation for advancing high-quality development and common prosperity among its 56 ethnic groups, with a draft law on promoting ethnic unity and progress submitted to national lawmakers for deliberation on Thursday.

The draft was submitted to the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature, for a third reading.

The law aims to translate “fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation” into the will of the state, said Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, in his explanatory remarks on the draft.

Imagine the USA fostering a law that helps Native Americans to become equal and thrive with the US as it grows and enriches itself, imagine such a law existing in Australia. The Australian public recently rejected exactly this because it would have given Indigenous Aboriginals a real voice in the democratic management of the entire country and an opportunity to share its wealth. That’s what China has done

To continue with the State Council’s information: “The legal document articulates state support for high-quality development in areas with large ethnic minority populations and for promoting common prosperity among all ethnic groups...” “specific provisions are set out on infrastructure construction, industrial development, public services, protection of natural resources, among others.”

Listen carefully, I’ll say that again, “specific provisions are set out on infrastructure construction, industrial development, public services, protection of natural resources”

Many ethnic minority communities reside in mountainous areas, far-off regions or other historically underdeveloped parts of China. Benefiting from heavy government investment, the nationwide poverty reduction campaign and modernization drive, these regions have recorded rapid economic and social development.

One example given was that of the Xizang Autonomous Region, better known in the West as Tibet which has led the entire country in starting to provide 15 years of publicly-funded education from kindergarten to senior high in 2012. The 15-year free schooling has also been made available in four southern prefectures in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where I am now.

Lawmakers have expected the law to inject fresh momentum into ethnic minority regions by offering legal guarantees for ethnic unity and progress.

This law will make developing ethnic minority regions a statutory responsibility, ensuring stable, long-term institutional support,

Specifically targeting acts that erode ethnic unity, the draft stipulates that violent terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism will face criminal liability and, to prove I’m not making it up, Tursun Ebey, an associate professor at Xinjiang University is quoted by the State Council Information Office as saying: “said ethnic unity constitutes “the lifeline of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang and “This legal protection of ethnic unity will provide a greater sense of security and allow us to focus on pursuing development,”

So, when people tell you China is eroding ethnicities, point them in my direction if you like, I’ll prove they are not.