MAC warns travelers of ‘ethnic unity’ law risksBy Jonathan Chin and Chung Li-Hua / Staff reporter with staff writerBeijing’s latest “ethnic unity” law could put Taiwanese visiting China in legal jeopardy, as room for maintaining the “status quo” risks being erased and anyone who does not voice support for unification could face fabricated charges at any moment, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) warned yesterday. China’s ethnic unity law is broadly construed and blurs the legal red line on what constitutes as being a “supporter of Taiwanese independence,” it cited the academics as saying. The law aimed to transform the constitutional framework of China, not just modify Beijing’s stance on Taiwan, they said. The law appears to be a part of Xi’s bid to bolster the Chinese Communist Party’s legitimacy amid economic and political turmoil by inventing a new ideology centered on Chinese ethnic identity, homogeneity and economic development, they said. China’s use of “united front” tactics in unofficial interactions would likely intensify in the wake of the ethnic unity law, the academics said.

Source: Taipei Times March 20, 2026 17:14 UTC