Catalan separatists reject the “forced assimilation” of national minorities in China

Eduardo González The Junts per Catalunya parliamentary group in Congress has asked the Government to express to the authorities of the People's Republic of China, including its ambassador in Spain, Yao Jing, “its concern” about the recently approved Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity, “which encourages the forced assimilation of its national minorities and the suppression of cultural identities other than Chinese.” In a non-binding motion registered on April 21 for debate in the Foreign Affairs Committee, Junts denounces that the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity, approved on March 12 by the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (PRC), "is part of a political and institutional context marked by increasingly intense policies of homogenization and cultural, religious, and linguistic assimilation" within the country. "Far from being a neutral initiative in terms of social cohesion, this new law is perceived as the legal consolidation of dynamics that, for decades, have seemed to aim at eliminating diverse identities in favor of a single Chinese identity based on the Han majority," the Catalan pro-independence party continues. The approval of the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity, it asserts, "has raised deep concern internationally, as noted by Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights." Furthermore, it continues, “for decades, various governments, international organizations, and human rights groups have leveled serious accusations against the Chinese government regarding its treatment of the 55 national minorities recognized by China itself, such as Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Mongols.” “In the case of the first two, these accusations go further, speaking of cultural genocide and even genocide in a broader sense,” it adds. “These accusations are based on reports documenting policies of mass detention, intensive surveillance, restrictions on religious freedom, and the systematic erosion of the cultural and linguistic identities of national minorities,” Junts denounces. Moreover, it asserts, the application of the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity of the People’s Republic of China “contravenes obligations under international law, including the principles established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other instruments relating to the protection of minorities, the prohibition of discrimination, and respect for cultural diversity.” “History has repeatedly demonstrated that imposing a single identity on diverse societies does not lead to true unity, but rather to marginalization, the loss of cultural heritage, and ultimately, conflict,” the pro-independence group warns. “The richness of a pluralistic state lies in its capacity to protect and foster diversity, not to repress it,” it concludes. Therefore, the non-binding resolution urges the Government to “express its concern regarding the approval of the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity of the People’s Republic of China, which encourages the forced assimilation of its national minorities and the suppression of cultural identities other than Chinese,” and to recall that “the application of this law violates international human rights law, particularly with regard to the protection of the cultural, linguistic, and religious freedom of national minorities, as well as the right of peoples to preserve their identity.” The proposal also calls on the Government, which defends the right of national minorities "to receive education in their mother tongue, to practice their own religion and to enjoy their culture and traditions without interference from the State," to forward the content of this non-legislative proposal to the Chinese authorities through the Chinese ambassador in Spain.

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