China says it has ‘legitimate’ right to apply new ethnic unity law against people beyond its own borders

China has the “legitimate” right to target people beyond its borders under a new “ethnic unity” law, a top judicial official said on Wednesday, after overseas rights advocates warned it could be used to further marginalise minority groups.

The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, which comes into effect on July 1, aims to forge a “shared” national identity among ethnic groups and contains a clause saying people and organisations overseas can be held liable for violating it.

Rights groups have argued that the law could provide Beijing with more legal justification for pursuing overseas advocates for minorities, such as the Uyghurs or Tibetans, that the Chinese government is accused of repressing.

Vice Justice Minister Hu Weilie defended the legislation on Wednesday, saying the clause “aligns with legal principles”.

“This provision is grounded in national realities… conforms to international practice, and constitutes a legitimate, lawful, necessary, and feasible legal measure,” Hu said at a news briefing, according to an official transcript.

China officially recognises 55 ethnic minorities, besides its dominant Han majority, and has consistently denied that it engages in rights violations.

The law, passed by the National People’s Congress in March, formalises longstanding policies to promote Mandarin as the language of education, official business and public spaces.

Social cohesion is a key focus, with other clauses criminalising engaging in “violent terrorist activities, ethnic separatist activities, or religious extremist activities”.

In a statement last year, Human Rights Watch said the law could “facilitate intensifying ideological controls” and “target ethnic and religious minorities including by erasing minority language rights”.

It might also “foster control beyond China’s borders”, the group said, adding that Beijing “routinely” sought to repress its critics overseas. The Chinese government denies doing so.

Hu accused Western news outlets of “smearing” the overseas enforcement clause by interpreting it as a form of “long-arm jurisdiction”.

He said the law would target “illegal acts” that “undermine ethnic unity and progress or incite ethnic separatism”.

“Its fundamental purpose is to safeguard ethnic harmony, social stability, and national security, which aligns with the spirit of international law,” he added.