By Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNA
The true purpose of China’s new “ethnic unity” law, which took effect yesterday, is to further institutionalize the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) legal warfare, “united front” operations, cognitive warfare and transnational repression efforts, the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) China Affairs Department said today, after the US Department of State also criticized the legislation.
The department identified four major negative impacts the “Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law” would have on cross-strait relations.
First, by embedding the concept of a “Chinese ethnic community” into law, Beijing is tying ethnic identity to “national unification” and the CCP’s leadership, shrinking the space for diverse identities and differing political views, the department wrote on Facebook.
Photo: Reuters
Second, it complements existing measures such as the “Anti-Secession” Law and “22 guidelines” targeting Taiwan independence supporters, to create a legal warfare framework ranging from political declarations and administrative penalties to judicial prosecution, it said.
Third, it increases risks for Taiwanese politicians, academics, media workers, businesspeople and civic groups traveling to China, while expanding its deterrent effect on international supporters of Taiwan, the department said.
Fourth, by relying on vague and highly politicized legal concepts, the law could create a chilling effect that encourages self-censorship in Taiwan and the international community because of concerns over political or economic consequences — a core objective of transnational repression, it said.
Separately, a US Department of State spokesperson last night said that the “problematic” law imposes broad obligations on individuals, institutions and organizations, including those outside China, to advance the CCP’s “ethnic unity” agenda or face retaliation from Chinese authorities.
The US would defend its sovereignty and protect people within its borders from foreign governments and regimes that seek to silence, intimidate, harass, harm or coerce others through extraterritorial actions, the spokesperson said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) told a news conference today that the law does not involve vague criminalization or force people to choose between unification and independence.
The DPP was spreading misinformation, deliberately distorting the issue and using alleged risks to frighten Taiwanese, she said.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu