A French Senator has recently written to French President Emmanuel Macron expressing deep concern over China’s recently adopted “Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress” and urging him to raise the issue with the Chinese authorities before the legislation enters into force on 1 July 2026.
In her letter to President Macron, Jacqueline Eustache-Brinio, Chair of the French Senate’s International Information Tibet Group, warns that the law provides a legal framework for the institutionalisation of Beijing’s long-standing assimilation policies in Tibet and other regions. By embedding these policies in national legislation, she argues, the law risks further undermining the cultural, linguistic, and religious rights of Tibetans while strengthening state control over ethnic identity and expression.
The senator also warns that the law links ethnic affairs to national security, increasing risks of surveillance, repression and the criminalisation of peaceful cultural and religious activities. She further highlights its extraterritorial scope, which could allow Chinese authorities to target individuals and organisations abroad for actions deemed to undermine “national unity”, raising concerns about transnational repression against Tibetan communities and human rights defenders including in Europe.
Referring to international reactions to the legislation, Senator Eustache-Brinio notes that the European Parliament adopted a resolution on 30 April 2026 condemning China’s assimilation policies in Tibet and calling for the repeal of the law. She also recalls concerns expressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
On behalf of the Senate’s Tibet Group, the senator calls on President Macron to convey France’s concerns to the Chinese authorities and to stand in support of the Tibetan people’s efforts to preserve their identity, culture, language, and religious traditions.
The International Campaign for Tibet welcomes Senator Eustache-Brinio’s intervention and her continued commitment to defending the rights and freedoms of the Tibetan people. As the implementation date of the law approaches, sustained engagement by democratic parliaments and governments in Europe and beyond remains essential to addressing the growing challenges facing Tibetans both inside Tibet and abroad.
Read the full letter (in French) below.
Support Tibetans in their struggle for freedom by donating here!
