On July 1st, the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law of the People’s Republic of China officially came into effect. As the first foundational and comprehensive law concerning China’s ethnic affairs, its enactment and implementation demonstrate China’s firm resolve to ensure equality for all ethnic groups, safeguard the fundamental interests of all ethnic groups, and promote their common prosperity and development. It has laid a solid rule-of-law foundation for China’s ethnic work, human rights protection, and enduring stability in border areas in the new era.
Enacting the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law is an inevitable requirement for forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. China is a unified multiethnic country. Through long interactions, exchanges, and integration, people of all ethnic groups have jointly founded this unified multiethnic state, written a glorious chapter of Chinese history, created a splendid Chinese culture, and nurtured a great national spirit. Together, they have forged a community with a shared future characterized by shared blood ties, belief, culture, economic interdependence, and emotional affinity. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that “a keen sense of national identity is the foundation of ethnic unity.” In line with the historical trajectory of the Chinese nation from the past to the future, from tradition to modernity, and from diversity to unity, this law improves the institutional mechanisms for forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation through the rule of law. It guides people of all ethnic groups to firmly establish the philosophy of a community with a shared future, in which all ethnic groups share weal and woe, honor and disgrace, life and death, and a common destiny, and to stick together like seeds of a pomegranate.
Enacting the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law is a practical necessity for advancing Chinese modernization. In advancing Chinese modernization and achieving common prosperity, no ethnic group should be left behind. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), through policy measures such as industrial support, capital investment, poverty alleviation relocation, and educational assistance, all 31.21 million impoverished people in ethnic regions have shaken off poverty, all 420 poverty-stricken counties in ethnic autonomous areas have been removed from the poverty list, and all 28 ethnic groups with smaller populations have been lifted out of poverty. The combined GDP of the five autonomous regions, including the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, grew from 3.25 trillion yuan in 2012 to 8.66 trillion yuan in 2025. Ethnic regions have sustained rapid economic growth, the living standards of people of all ethnic groups have improved significantly, and economic and social development has reached a new level. The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law further institutionalizes these successful experiences in the form of law. With a dedicated chapter on driving shared prosperity and common development, it implements the new development philosophy, supports ethnic regions in comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, fully integrating into national development strategies, and enhancing their capacity for self-development. It accelerates high-quality development in ethnic regions, promotes common prosperity for all ethnic groups, and propels them together toward socialist modernization.
Enacting the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law is a crucial step in responding to profound changes unseen in a century. Currently, the world is entering a new period of turbulence and transformation, with various risks overlapping. Hostile forces both at home and abroad have never ceased their attempts to use ethnic issues to divide, infiltrate, and sabotage China. Well managing ethnic affairs is vital to China’s unity and border consolidation, to ethnic unity and social stability, and to China’s enduring stability and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The law balances development and security, leveraging the rule of law to consolidate foundations, stabilize expectations, and benefit long-term development. It uses the weapon of law to effectively prevent and defuse major risks and hidden dangers in the ethnic sphere, providing a solid guarantee for promoting high-quality development of China’s ethnic unity and progress. For any multiethnic country, ethnic unity and social harmony are important prerequisites for safeguarding national security, maintaining social stability, and achieving long-term development. Facing the accelerating evolution of profound changes unseen in a century, China adheres to promoting ethnic unity and maintaining social stability through stable ethnic policies and comprehensive rule-of-law guarantees. This not only builds a solid foundation for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation but also provides a Chinese solution for other multiethnic countries to draw upon in responding to risks and challenges, safeguarding ethnic unity, and enhancing governance capacity.
We are delighted to see that over the 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and Pakistan have always stood firmly together regardless of the shifting international landscape. The China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership has become a model of friendly cooperation between nations. In particular, as countries where multiple ethnicities and cultures blend and coexist, China and Pakistan have always respected each other’s history, culture, and national conditions, and have mutually understood and supported each other on major issues such as safeguarding national unity and promoting ethnic solidarity. Pakistan has consistently adhered to the one-China principle and firmly supported China on issues concerning its core interests, including those related to Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Xizang. We highly appreciate this. Currently, under the leadership of the Pakistani government, the entire Pakistani people are united and forging ahead with determination. The country maintains political stability, sees steady economic progress, and enjoys significantly enhanced international influence. As an ironclad friend, China is genuinely delighted by this and will continue to firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, support Pakistan in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and support Pakistan in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs.
Standing at a new historical starting point, China is ready to work with Pakistan to leverage our advantages of close geographical proximity, solid mutual trust, and profound friendship. We will jointly build the CPEC 2.0 with high quality, expand and deepen exchanges and all-round cooperation in various fields, cope with the uncertainty of the external environment with the certainty of China-Pakistan relations, and accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era. This will provide new and greater momentum for both countries to achieve their respective modernization.
May China and Pakistan enjoy prosperity and may the friendship between our two countries endure for generations to come!
