China's 'Ethnic Unity Promotion Law' Takes Effect, Scholars Say It Aims to Create a Chilling Effect

(Central News Agency reporter Li Ya-wen, Taipei, July 14) The Chinese Communist Party's 'Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress' (referred to as the 'Unity Promotion Law') took effect on the 1st. Scholars believe this law is intended to achieve a chilling effect. Once overseas individuals who oppose Xi Jinping or the Communist Party feel threatened and begin to worry about their speech and actions, the actual effect has already been achieved.

This afternoon, the China and Regional Development Research Center at Tunghai University hosted a symposium titled 'The Impact of the Ethnic Unity Progress Promotion Law on Cross-Strait Exchanges' at the National Taiwan University Alumni Association Hall, with numerous experts and scholars in attendance.

Tan Wei-en, professor at the Institute of International Politics at National Chung Hsing University, stated during the event that this law designates 'ethnic unity' as a protected interest. Once Beijing subjectively perceives it as being undermined, it can invoke the 'protective jurisdiction principle,' completely overriding whether the individual is a citizen of the People's Republic of China or whether the crime occurred within territory currently under Beijing's effective control.

Tan believes that for Beijing, the greater effect of this law lies in creating a chilling effect. Extraterritorial enforcement (such as overseas police deployments) incurs enforcement costs, and with the law's definitions being vague, even enforcers may not know where the enforcement standards lie. If, after implementation, this law can exert a deterrent effect, causing overseas anti-Xi, anti-Communist individuals to begin self-censoring their speech and behavior, the actual effect has already been achieved.

He said that while external attention focuses on the law providing a basis for cross-border suppression, the more critical goal is to 'silence' mainland China, achieving complete elimination of dissent within Beijing's currently controlled territory. Regime stability is the greatest and sole objective of this law.

Yeh Yao-yuan, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of St. Thomas in the United States, mentioned that the content of this law is highly ambiguous. The main reason is that if the legal provisions were clearly defined, it would likely lose significant 'rule by man' interpretive space. The more ambiguous the legal content, the more advantageous it is for Beijing, as it can induce both overseas and domestic individuals to self-censor their speech and behavior due to legal uncertainty.

Yeh believes that the extremely loose definition of the Ethnic Unity Progress Promotion Law is precisely intended to serve as a tool for rulers and dictators to suppress dissent. From legal interpretation to its fundamental design, this law was created for this very purpose.

Liu Ming-hao, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Tunghai University, pointed out that the uncertainty of the Ethnic Unity Progress Promotion Law is already evident. Even without actual 'punishment' being carried out, a chilling effect may still be observed.

Liu emphasized that where exactly the 'red line' of this law lies remains to be verified through future empirical cases. Currently, what the government can do for cross-strait exchanges is to minimize information asymmetry among the public. (Editor: Chu Chien-ling) 1150714

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