00:00A new law aimed at promoting ethnic unity has come into effect in China.
00:04Under the new rules, schools and government agencies are required to use Mandarin as their primary language,
00:11raising concerns over its impact on ethnic minority communities.
00:16The statute requires schools to foster what it calls a strong sense of the Chinese national community,
00:22while parents are encouraged to teach their children to support the Chinese Communist Party and the country.
00:28It also prohibits acts that authorities say undermine ethnic unity or promote ethnic division among China's 56 officially recognized ethnic
00:38groups.
00:38President Xi Jinping has long called for stronger national identity,
00:43urging ethnic minority groups including Tibetans and Uyghurs to identify more closely with the Chinese nation and the ruling party.
00:50The legislation also states that organizations and individuals outside mainland China may be held liable
00:57if they are found to have undermined ethnic unity or promoted ethnic division.
