The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President Sikyong Penpa Tsering issued an urgent appeal on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, to governments, foreign ministries, parliamentarians, think tanks, and non-governmental organizations worldwide regarding China's newly enacted 'Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress Law.' The law is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026.
Law Described as Assimilation Tool
According to Sikyong, while Beijing portrays the legislation as a measure to strengthen national unity and social harmony, it provides a comprehensive legal framework for accelerating the assimilation of Tibetans and other ethnic minorities. The law targets distinct languages, cultures, religions, and identities under the guise of ethnic unity.
Sikyong stated, 'I was travelling in the last few weeks also because of this reason to create more awareness on nice sounding name, so called ethnic unity and progress law, but with a very objective of destroying Tibetans and Uyghurs and East Turkistani not just minorities or what they called nationalities in this region, but also other areas where people will be forced to speak only Mandarin.'
No Immediate Counter Policy
When asked about a counter policy, Sikyong explained that a response cannot be formulated in one or two days. He said, 'Counter policy cannot come in one or two days; we have to assess the whole situation. These are policies, and policies need deliberation; it cannot come in one or two days. You need a lot of celebration to think about the impact and the implications of what China is doing.'
He added that from July 1, the implementation begins, and the CTA will monitor the situation and continue working with governments to counter China's narrative. 'If necessary then we will come out with counter proposal... as I mentioned that nothing is going on right now to propose too but we have to internally think about what we need to do if there is an opening in future.'
Law Contains 'Elements of Genocide'
Sikyong emphasized the law's impact on Tibet, stating, 'This has all elements of genocide, so it's targeting Tibetan language, it's targeting Tibetan religion, it's targeting Tibetan culture, it's targeting every aspect of Tibetan life. So every aspect of Tibetan life would be threatened. Tibetan nest would be removed if this is implemented for a long time... there won't be Tibetans anymore, just the land, that's also being renamed.'
The CTA plans to collect statements from world leaders on July 1, reach out to foreign offices, organize press conferences, and galvanize Tibetan communities worldwide through protests and demonstrations. Sikyong called for sustained efforts 'in the months and years to come till they repeal this.'
