US and Swiss Lawmakers Protest China's New Ethnic Law

International lawmakers and Tibetan advocacy groups are protesting China's Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which took effect on July 1, 2026. The legislation is criticized for enforcing a Han-centered national identity and facilitating the forced assimilation of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other ethnic minorities through the erosion of their native languages, religions, and cultures.

Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse sent a joint letter to Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng urging the government of China to rescind or revise the law. The US senators specifically identified Article 63 as a violation of US sovereignty due to its claim of jurisdiction over individuals and organizations outside China. They also condemned China's state-run boarding school system, which separates over one million Tibetan children from their heritage.

Similarly, the Parliamentary Group for Tibet in the Swiss Parliament issued a formal protest, warning that Tibetan identity could be wiped out within a single generation. The group intends to bring the matter before the Swiss Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and press the Federal Council to hold Beijing accountable for human rights obligations. In Australia, the Australia Tibet Council expressed concerns that the law could be weaponized against Tibetan activists living on Australian soil.