China's Law on Ethnic Unity Takes Effect July 1; Civil Groups Urge Government to Establish Protection Mechanisms

Taipei, Jun. 30 (CNA) China's "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" will officially take effect on July 1. Taiwanese civil society groups held a press conference today stating that this law will impact cross-strait exchanges and Taiwan's democratic system. They urged the government to establish early warning and protection mechanisms, severely punish local collaborators, and mitigate the influence of the CCP's long-arm jurisdiction.

The Taiwan Northern Society organized a press conference titled "The CCP's Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress: Full Activation of Legal United Front? Exposing New Challenges of the CCP's Legal Instrumentalization, Legalized United Front, and Transnational Democratic Penetration." Representatives from various groups, including the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, Taiwan Fu Ho Association, National Bar Association, Peng Ming-min Foundation for Cultural and Educational Advancement, Taiwan Youth Generation Exchange Association, Taiwan Hakka Society, Taiwan Human Rights Promotion Association, and the Citizen Congress Watch, were invited to attend.

Lo Chun-chiu, president of the Taiwan Northern Society, pointed out that this law has exceeded the values that law should uphold. Article 21 of the "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" explicitly states, "Promote economic and cultural exchange and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, enhance Taiwanese compatriots' sense of belonging, identity, and honor to the Chinese nation, and strengthen the understanding that we all belong to the Chinese nation and are all Chinese people." This effectively transforms a legal battle into a cognitive war, forcibly stipulating national identity and sense of belonging through law.

Lo Chun-chiu stated that in addition to Article 21, Article 41 legalizes the United Front, and Article 63 establishes an extraterritorial accountability mechanism. This signifies that the CCP has fully launched a legal and psychological warfare against the people of other countries. These three articles combined are referred to as the "426 clauses," indicating that this law has surpassed the spirit and values of ordinary domestic law.

Chen Wen-chia, a scholar of international relations and national security strategy, also pointed out that Article 63 of the "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" has become a tool for the CCP's national security to protect its rights. In the future, any act deemed to "damage ethnic unity" could be considered a violation by China. However, the CCP's law does not clearly define what constitutes damage, giving law enforcers greater discretion. This could lead to Taiwanese citizens transiting through China or other countries being subjected to the CCP's long-arm jurisdiction and transnational suppression. Taiwan should not only guard against the CCP's transnational suppression but also unite with the United States and Japan to jointly condemn and curb it. (Edited by Tsai Yu-ching) 1150630

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