Why China is accused of 'forced assimilation' | Global News Podcast
A new law has come into effect in China which critics say is aimed at erasing minority groups. The government calls it the law for
A new law has come into effect in China which critics say is aimed at erasing minority groups. The government calls it the law for "Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" and says the legislation will strengthen social cohesion, for example by making Mandarin the language of education, official business and public spaces.
But rights groups argue it's designed to force groups such as Uyghurs and Tibetans to assimilate with the Han Chinese majority. Amnesty International has warned the law will “further institutionalise... policies of forced assimilation”. The UN rights chief Volker Türk has called for the law to be repealed, saying it will restrict freedom of language, education and religion.
We ask BBC Monitoring's China Media Analyst Kerry Allen about the powers this new law gives Beijing, why critics are concerned and whether it will expand China's ability to target activists living abroad. New episodes of the Global News Podcast are published twice a day.
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