In his appeal, Sikyong Penpa Tsering argues that the law transforms long-standing assimilation policies into legal obligations by mandating Mandarin-medium education, encouraging demographic engineering through mixed communities and intermarriage, expanding state surveillance, and extending China’s jurisdiction beyond its borders to target critics and members of the Tibetan diaspora. Describing the legislation as a grave threat to the future of the Tibetan people, Sikyong calls on governments and the international community to oppose the law, press for its repeal, support international investigations into its human rights implications, hold those responsible accountable, and renew efforts to advance a peaceful resolution of the Sino-Tibet conflict through meaningful dialogue.

The full text of the appeal reads,

“I write to you with profound urgency and deep concern for the future of the Tibetan people and the preservation of our distinct cultural and religious heritage. Tibet, historically an independent nation and forcefully occupied by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), remains the subject of an unresolved conflict in international affairs.

On 12 March 2026, the PRC government adopted the “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress,” scheduled to enter into force on 1 July 2026. While Chinese authorities portray the legislation as a mechanism for promoting “social harmony and national unity”, it effectively codifies policies of forced assimilation. Taken together with existing measures—including the expansion of state-run colonial boarding schools and other policies affecting Tibetan language, religion, education, and traditional ways of life—this law raises grave concerns about the long-term survival of Tibetan identity and may constitute a further step towards genocide.

I. The Tools of Assimilation: How the Law Erases Tibetan Identity

The new law establishes far-reaching mandates designed to erode Tibetan identity from the ground up, extending from grassroots administration into our schools, communities. Key provisions include:

• Mandatory Mandarin Instruction: Central to this law is the requirement that schools use Mandarin Chinese as the primary language of instruction from pre-kindergarten through high school. This policy directly targets the youngest generation, gradually stripping the Tibetan language of its practical value and relevance in everyday life.
• Breaking Up Communities and Demographic Dilution: The law calls for “mutually embedded community environments”, aggressively encouraging mixed-ethnic neighborhoods to break up traditional Tibetan enclaves that have historically kept our culture alive. Combined with provisions that indirectly promote “intermarriage” between Tibetans and non-Tibetans  and forced displacement of Tibetan farmers and nomads from their ancestral lands, this is a state-sponsored attempt to dissolve distinct Tibetan identity through demographic dilution.
• Totalitarian Surveillance and Control: Under the banner of “social governance,” the law extends Communist Party control over all aspects of Tibetan affairs and requires the use of “scientific and technological support” to identify and manage purported “major risks”. In practice, this broad and ambiguous mandate could be used to justify intensive surveillance of Tibetans for activities as ordinary as practicing their faith, speaking their language, or preserving their cultural heritage.
• Transnational Repression: Article 63 of this law asserts extraterritorial jurisdiction over anyone accused of “undermining ethnic unity”, exposing individuals outside China to potential criminal prosecution. By extending Beijing’s reach beyond its borders, the provision risks becoming a powerful instrument for silencing critics, advocates, and members of the Tibetan diaspora. Its sweeping and ambiguous language gives Chinese authorities broad discretion to target foreign nationals—including citizens of your country, especially those of Tibetan origin. On 16 April 2026, eight UN human rights experts raised alarm over the law, specifically warning that Article 63 could enable transnational repression and threaten fundamental rights far beyond China’s borders.

II. The Catastrophic Implications for Tibet

For us, the Tibetan people, the implications of this law are catastrophic. It acts as a death blow to the original constitutional promise of meaningful regional autonomy.

• Legalized Repression:Under the banner of “governance according to law,” the PRC is codifying policies that erode the autonomy rights it has formally pledged to protect, transforming political control and assimilation into matters of legal obligation.
• Severing Tibetans from Their Heritage and Roots:Through policies that encourage cross-regional population transfers and marginalize the Tibetan language, the state is systematically disconnecting Tibetans from their ancestral homeland, history, and spiritual traditions. The objective is not merely integration, but the gradual replacement of a distinct Tibetan identity with allegiance to the state-defined “Chinese Nation” (Zhonghua Minzu). 

• Criminalizing Tibetan Identity:The law conditions economic, social, and cultural development on the goal of “forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.” By casting the preservation of Tibetan religious practices, language, and cultural traditions as potential manifestations of “separatism,” it creates a framework in which the expression of a distinct Tibetan identity can be treated as a political offense.

III. Our Urgent Call to Action

This law possesses no moral legitimacy in the eyes of the Tibetan people. The preservation of our mother tongue, religion, cultural heritage, and national dignity constitutes a fundamental human right. While the European Parliament and the United Nations have already raised serious concerns regarding the implications of this legislation, stronger and more decisive action is urgently required. Therefore, we respectfully call upon your government and the international community to hear our appeal and take the following actions:

• Oppose, Reject and Call for its Repeal:We urge that you formally convey to the Chinese Government your strong opposition to the law, rejecting its implementation and to call for its repeal.

• Initiate UN Investigation: Mandate relevant United Nations bodies and mechanisms to urgently review the PRC’s assimilation policies and employ all available international instruments to prevent further violations of cultural, linguistic, and religious rights.
• Hold Perpetrators Accountable: Through your diplomatic missions, undertake comprehensive investigations into the individuals and institutions responsible for designing and implementing these policies, and consider the use of appropriate accountability tools, including targeted sanctions.
• Push for Meaningful Dialogue:  Exert united diplomatic pressure on Beijing to peacefully resolve the Sino-Tibet conflict through genuine, mutually respectful dialogue.
• Support Our Voice: Support the efforts of the Central Tibetan Administration in the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture and identity in exile while exposing and countering this deliberate erasure of Tibetan identity in Tibet.