U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
07/01/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/01/2026 12:59
Risch, Shaheen, Colleagues Statement on China’s Ethnic Unity Law
July 1, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Risch, Shaheen, Colleagues Statement on China's Ethnic Unity Law
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, alongside Senators John Curtis (R-Utah), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.),Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) today released the following statement ahead of the Chinese government's enactment of a law promoting "ethnic unity and progress."
"For decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has denied ethnic and religious minority groups-including Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Mongolians-the right to self-determination, even as this internationally recognized human right remains in China's constitution. China's newly enacted Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, approved by its rubber-stamp parliament, codifies Beijing's unjust policies that increasingly seek to erase the religion, culture, and language of minority groups located both inside and outside China.
"In particular, we are deeply concerned by language in the law that demands ideological compliance with the CCP, mandating that even people outside China deemed to be undermining 'ethnic unity and progress' by the Chinese government can be held legally responsible in China. This sweeping legislation gives Beijing near limitless authority to prosecute those who would speak out against Beijing's oppression and only continues its development of a legal framework to legitimize its transnational repression.
"We will continue to push back against the CCP's efforts to undermine the sovereignty of other countries and support the internationally recognized human rights of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other ethnic and minority groups. All people deserve to have a say in their own future, preserve their culture, and freely express their religious beliefs."
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), Select Committee Ranking Member Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Representative Young Kim (R-Calif.) also joined the senators in releasing this statement.
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