China adopted a law cementing President Xi Jinping¡¯s push to assimilate the country¡¯s ethnic minorities, another shift away from Beijing¡¯s long-held policy of giving such groups at least symbolic autonomy.
Over 2,760 delegates to the National People¡¯s Congress voted on Thursday to pass the Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress law, with three opposing it and three more abstaining.
China is yet to publish the full text of the legislation, but a draft indicated it codifies the elevation of Mandarin Chinese in education and warns against outside interference in ethnic affairs. In a sign of its significance to top leaders, the Communist Party¡¯s decision-making Politburo discussed the draft law in August.
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