EU and US Sound Alarm Over China's New Law Targeting Ethnic Minorities — Even Abroad

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A Law With No Borders

China's new ethnic unity law went into effect on July 1, 2026, giving Beijing a legal basis to act against people far beyond its own territory. The legislation, passed by the National People's Congress in March, is officially framed as an effort to build a "shared" national identity among China's 55 recognized ethnic minority groups, including Tibetans and Uyghurs, communities that have a long history of resisting Beijing's rule, sometimes through violent protest.

But the part drawing the most attention is Article 63. It states that organizations and individuals outside China can be held legally accountable if they're found to have undermined "ethnic unity and progress" or incited "ethnic separatism." According to the Wikipedia entry compiled from multiple news sources, Human Rights Watch researcher Yalkun Uluyol described the extraterritorial provision bluntly as an instrument of transnational repression.

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Washington and Brussels Push Back

The reaction from Western governments was swift and pointed. An EU spokesperson said the law risks squeezing the cultural, linguistic, and religious freedoms of ethnic minorities even further, and stressed that any such restrictions must meet international human rights standards China has already committed to as a UN member. Brussels was explicit about the extraterritorial reach in particular, warning that it would not tolerate any attempt to conduct repression against people on EU soil.

The US State Department was equally direct, calling the law "problematic" because it effectively pressures people living outside China to promote the Chinese Communist Party's agenda or risk retaliation. A department spokesperson said Washington would defend individuals within American borders from being silenced, harassed, or coerced by foreign governments.

This isn't just rhetoric from Washington. In recent years, US prosecutors have leaned more heavily on the century-old Espionage Act to crack down on foreign agents operating domestically, including a 2023 case involving an alleged secret Chinese "police station" running out of New York City.

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Beijing Defends the Law as "Legal and Necessary"

China has made no secret of its intent to enforce the law beyond its own borders. A senior Chinese official said last week that Beijing has every right to hold people accountable overseas, describing the move as consistent with international practice. Vice Justice Minister Hu Weilie went further, accusing unnamed Western media outlets of distorting the law's intent and insisting the extraterritorial clause is a "legitimate, lawful, necessary, and feasible" provision.

Rights organizations aren't convinced. They point to China's established pattern of misusing Interpol's "red notice" system to pressure foreign governments into detaining people Beijing wants for political, not criminal, reasons. It's a tactic that fits a broader playbook Beijing has used for years against groups it considers threats to Communist Party control, from Uyghur and Tibetan activists to practitioners of the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong, many of whom have reported harassment and surveillance long after leaving China.

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Taiwan: "Intimidation Through Malicious Repression"

Nowhere has the law triggered more anxiety than in Taiwan, the self-governing democracy Beijing claims as its own territory. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council responded sharply on Thursday, vowing to work with allied democracies to resist what it called Chinese Communist "threats," and describing the law as intimidation through malicious transnational repression.

The concern is well-founded. According to the Taipei Times, a Taiwanese national security official warned that the law could expose ordinary travelers, journalists, academics, and even religious groups to detention or legal jeopardy simply for crossing into China or transiting through countries closely aligned with Beijing. Officials specifically flagged that the law could target eight distinct groups, raising particular risks for Taiwanese travelers and foreign companies operating in the region. Taiwan's government has legally rejected China's sovereignty claims outright, and Chinese law has no jurisdiction on Taiwanese soil, but that hasn't stopped Beijing from asserting otherwise.

President Lai Ching-te has also weighed in, urging Taiwanese citizens to exercise caution when traveling to or living in China, and pledging that Taipei will monitor the situation closely and provide guidance for citizens and officials stationed abroad.

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What Happens Next

Beijing's Foreign Ministry has so far declined to respond directly to the EU and US statements. But the law is already having a chilling effect: rights groups warn it hands Chinese authorities a broad, vaguely defined tool that can be applied almost anywhere, to almost anyone Beijing decides has crossed an undefined line. For Uyghurs, Tibetans, Taiwanese citizens, and diaspora communities worldwide, the practical question is no longer whether the law applies to them, but how far Beijing is willing to go to enforce it outside its own borders.

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Sources

1. Reuters — "EU and US concerned by China's new ethnic unity law which targets people overseas," July 2, 2026: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/eu-concerned-by-chinas-new-ethnic-unity-law-which-targets-people-overseas-2026-07-02/
2. Al Jazeera — "China's new ethnic unity law extends its legal reach overseas": https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/2/chinas-new-ethnic-unity-law-extends-its-legal-reach-overseas
3. Taipei Times — "China's ethnic unity law has long claws: official," July 2, 2026: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2026/07/02/2003860097
4. Taipei Times — "Experts raise concern over China's 'ethnic unity' law," June 25, 2026: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2026/06/25/2003859694
5. Wikipedia — "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" (background reference, contains further sourcing to Reuters, AFP/Hong Kong Free Press, Taiwan News): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_on_Promoting_Ethnic_Unity_and_Progress

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