Taiwan's top cross-strait policy body has accused Beijing of using a newly enacted ethnic unity law to impose legal obligations on Taiwanese citizens, warning the measure marks an escalation in China's legal campaign against the island's sovereignty.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which oversees Taiwan's China policy, said this week that the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress (民族團結進步促進法) took effect in China on July 1. Despite its framing around ethnic solidarity, the council said, the statute is in substance a "unification law" that binds Taiwanese people to support Beijing's political goals.
Council Says Law Shifts Beijing's Strategy Toward Compulsion
According to MAC, the legislation represents a turning point in Beijing's approach to Taiwan, moving from a posture centered on opposing Taiwanese independence to one actively compelling unification through legal means. The council said the law ties the concept of "national unification" directly to "ethnic unity," using the language of cohesion to advance what it called Beijing's ultimate objective of absorbing Taiwan.
MAC officials said the law requires citizens to help "forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation," and warned that even passive non-participation in pro-unification activities during cross-strait exchanges could be labeled as "undermining ethnic unity" and punished accordingly.
Extraterritorial Reach Raises Fears Of Global Self-Censorship
A central concern raised by the council is the law's claimed extraterritorial jurisdiction, which purports to let Chinese authorities pursue prosecutions over conduct that occurs entirely outside China's borders. MAC characterized this as an instrument of transnational repression designed to pressure not only Taiwanese citizens but people worldwide into self-censorship out of fear of legal exposure.
"We absolutely will not accept this," the council said, describing the tactic as intimidation dressed up in legal language.
Beijing Accused Of Weaponizing Cross-Strait Exchanges
MAC also warned that Beijing is expected to use the new law to more aggressively steer cross-strait activity in trade, religion, culture, education, and sports toward a "unification through law" framework, which the council said threatens to corrode what it described as a previously "healthy and orderly" exchange environment between the two sides.
The council said the law effectively reasserts Chinese domestic jurisdiction over Taiwan and its people, calling this a direct affront to the dignity and sovereignty of Taiwan's twenty-three million residents. It issued a formal condemnation of the measure.
Taipei Outlines A Three-Pronged Response With Allies
In response, the government said it would expand public education campaigns and civil servant training to build broader awareness of the law's implications, while tightening administrative review of cross-strait exchange programs. Officials said the approach would follow the president's direction to focus on three areas: prevention, protection, and counter-response.
The Executive Yuan has also set up a cross-agency platform intended to pool government resources to protect citizens affected by the law, establish preventive and response mechanisms, and build out assistance and protection systems, according to MAC. The council added that Taiwan intends to coordinate with allied democracies to jointly push back against Beijing's use of transnational legal pressure.
Council Reaffirms Sovereignty, Urges Public Vigilance
MAC closed its statement by reiterating that the Republic of China is a sovereign, independent state and that Taiwan's distinct political identity cannot be violated. It said the Taiwanese public rejects any attempt by Beijing to use domestic legislation to force unification.
The council urged citizens to recognize what it described as Beijing's underlying goal — eliminating the Republic of China as a governing entity and denying Taipei's jurisdiction over Taiwan — and called for a unified public stance in defense of national sovereignty and democratic freedoms, including skepticism toward cross-strait exchange programs it characterized as united-front operations with political intent. （Related： Beijing Watch | China's New Ethnic Unity Law Raises Alarm Over Cross-Strait Reach ｜ Latest ）
