(TibetanReview.net, Jun29’26) – Two US Senators have on Jun 25 asked China to rescind its law meant to assimilate the ethnic minority populations in the country ahead of its coming into force on Jul 1. Titled as Law for Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, the legislation threatens the distinct identities, religious freedoms, and fundamental rights of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other ethnic minorities, Republican Senator Lindsey O Graham and Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse have said in a letter to the Chinese Ambassador to the US, Xie Feng.
Referring to the European Parliament’s Apr 30, 2026, resolution, which condemned the law, the senators have urged the Chinese government to rescind or substantially revise the legislation.
And they have vowed to closely monitor the Chinese Communist Party’s implementation of the law, particularly its impact on ethnic minorities and individuals residing outside China.
This is because Article 63 of the law asserts legal jurisdiction to punish organisations and individuals outside China that may be accused of undermining “ethnic unity and progress” under this law.
The senators have warned that any attempt by Chinese authorities to surveil, intimidate, or pressure individuals residing in the United States under this provision would constitute an unacceptable violation of US sovereignty.
The senators have noted that the law also reinforces Chinese government’s longstanding policies restricting religious freedom under the pretext of combating extremism and separatism. These practices—including restrictions on worship, forced ideological education, and pressure on communities to abandon or weaken their religious traditions—have affected Tibetan Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and other faith communities.
The senators have expressed particular concern over the rights of Tibetan children who, numbering more than one million, have been forcibly separated from their families, language, and cultural heritage under China’s state-run boarding school system. They have made clear their intention to evaluate the implementation of the new law under international standards for the protection of children’s rights.
The law is not only “detrimental to and attempts to eliminate the unique identities of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and others,” but also appears to be inconsistent with China’s own Constitution, the 1984 Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law, and China’s international human rights commitments, they have noted.
Vowing to continue to speak out against violations of religious freedom, children’s rights, and the rights of individuals living on US soil, the senators have let it be known that the US Congress was actively working to establish reporting requirements on the implementation of this law and pledged to pursue additional legislative measures, if necessary, to hold the Chinese government accountable for actions taken under its provisions.
The bipartisan letter underscores growing international concern over China’s assimilation policies in Tibet and other occupied regions, particularly as Beijing continues to strengthen legal mechanisms aimed at enforcing ideological conformity and eroding the distinct identities of non-Han nationalities.