Radical Legislation Unveils the Truth: The CCP Confirms a Historical Pattern

Hollywood star Richard Gere has criticized the CCP's "National Unity Law" as a malevolent piece of legislation. (Video screenshot)

[People News] The "National Unity and Progress Promotion Law," which the CCP began implementing on July 1, may seem at first glance to be just a routine policy initiative. However, this law carries significant political and legal implications in both its legislative framework and substantive content, and it has recently ignited extensive legal discussions and international debates both at home and abroad.

The Significance of the Preamble

The "National Unity and Progress Promotion Law" is the first bill studied by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party since the 1990s, and it is also the first law from the CCP to include a preamble. In China's legislative tradition, the presence of a preamble indicates that this law holds considerable "political, declarative, and fundamental guiding" significance, highlighting its exceptional status.

Legally, the "National Unity and Progress Promotion Law" establishes Xi Jinping's concept of "forging a strong sense of the Chinese national community" as its primary guiding principle.

In contrast, previous ethnic policies tended to focus on "ethnic regional autonomy" and "respect for differences," emphasizing the distinctiveness and autonomy of various ethnic groups. In contrast, this new law shifts its focus to "emphasizing integrity, commonality, and integration." For instance, the law explicitly mandates the comprehensive promotion of the national common language and script—Mandarin and standardized Chinese characters—and the implementation of unified teaching materials in schools. This signifies a formal shift in national policy from administrative oversight to legally enforced cultivation of a unified cultural identity.

According to a report by the BBC, the Chinese Communist Party enacted the "National Unity and Progress Promotion Law" on July 1, which explicitly states that it will legally pursue "foreign organizations and individuals" that undermine national unity and progress or create ethnic divisions. Chinese scholars regard this new law as a "legal tool" to counteract division.

The authorities in Taiwan have criticized the law for leading the Taiwanese public to "self-censor" and for preventing individuals from other countries from "supporting Taiwan." Some Japanese politicians have expressed concerns that supporting Taiwan could theoretically fall under the scrutiny of this law.

Scholars have analyzed that the new legislation adopts a logic of "non-unification equals independence," which will limit the ability of Taiwanese people to express their desire to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. In future cross-strait exchanges, Taiwan's principle of "equal dignity" will also face significant challenges.

Hong Puzhao, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Mainland China and Regional Development Studies at National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan, told BBC Chinese that the law does not clearly define what constitutes "undermining national unity and progress" or "creating ethnic division," leaving a considerable amount of room for legal interpretation. Ultimately, it will be the Chinese authorities who determine what actions are deemed illegal.

In a media interview, Liang Wenjie, Deputy Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council in Taiwan, stated: "If you support Taiwan maintaining the status quo, or support the continued existence of the Republic of China, or advocate for the non-subordination of both sides of the Taiwan Strait, (for the CCP) this is considered undermining national unity. At any moment, a vague concept can be used to label you with a crime."

Liang Wenjie further remarked that the "National Unity Law" contains many ambiguous concepts, and if you support Taiwan maintaining the status quo, you could be labelled as a criminal at any time. (Video screenshot)

With the disguise removed, national policy has transformed into a rigid law.

On June 26, Gesang Jianzan, the representative of the Central Tibetan Administration in Taiwan, stated in an interview with Radio Free Asia that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long pursued assimilation policies in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia. Previously, these policies were primarily enforced through administrative orders, but they are now being formalized through legal means. He remarked: 'Under CCP rule, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia have consistently faced such policies. In the past, they relied on administrative regulations to eradicate the culture and religion of ethnic groups; now, they are legalizing actions that they have already been undertaking. Chinese law essentially reflects the will of the state and the party. Previously, they could use the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy as a facade, but now, by legalizing practices that contradict the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights, they can implement assimilation policies in minority regions with even greater impunity.'

Article 63 of this law states that organizations and individuals outside of China who engage in actions that undermine national unity and progress or incite ethnic division against the People's Republic of China will be held legally accountable.

Gesang Jianzan further noted that the extraterritorial accountability clause in Article 63 would serve as a deterrent to overseas Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongolians, and individuals from Taiwan and Hong Kong. He explained: 'Overseas critics of China's ethnic policies may face difficulties when returning to China or visiting Tibet in the future. Article 63 lacks clear definitions and can be wielded as a tool of intimidation, discouraging people from speaking out even while abroad.'

'Legalization of Transnational Suppression'

According to a report by the Liberty Times, Hollywood actor Richard Gere, who has been a long-time advocate for human rights in Tibet, highlighted in an article for the Wall Street Journal that the "National Unity and Progress Promotion Law" is one of the most significant yet least recognized laws of the Xi Jinping era. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is leveraging this law to institutionalize the suppression of minority cultures within China and has explicitly authorized the pursuit of critics of its policies, regardless of their location, including within the United States. Gere urged American policymakers to acknowledge the oppressive nature of this legislation.

Gere pointed out that while the law references terms like "unity," "social harmony," and "community of shared destiny," which may appear innocuous, Article 63 directs CCP authorities to take action against any organizations and individuals outside China that "undermine national unity and progress, and create ethnic division." This suggests that Beijing asserts its legal authority to target foreign citizens who make statements that the CCP considers a threat to its narratives concerning Tibet, Xinjiang, or any religious and ethnic minorities, including Americans.

The article highlights that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been relentless in its efforts to monitor and intimidate Chinese dissidents abroad. Lu Jianwang, a U.S. citizen residing in the Bronx, New York, was convicted in May of this year for acting as an illegal agent for the Ministry of Public Security of China by running an 'overseas police station' in Manhattan. Evidence presented by the prosecution showed that Lu was directed by CCP officials to suppress dissidents on American soil. He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. The recently enacted National Unity Law now provides explicit legal protection for such activities.

He further remarked that to grasp the potential consequences, one only needs to observe the situation in Tibet. Currently, Tibet is rife with police checkpoints, facial recognition technology, and communication surveillance. CCP officials are stationed directly in villages and temples, assigned to monitor Tibetan families and ensure their political loyalty. Monks are required to participate in a 'patriotic education' campaign. Writers are at risk of imprisonment, including Tibetan author Gangkye Drubpa Kyab, who is serving a 14-year sentence for 'inciting separatism' and had previously been jailed for displaying a photo of the Dalai Lama.

This situation stands in stark contrast to the Constitution.

The National Unity Law enforces Mandarin (Putonghua) as the primary language for education, government, and social organizations. Despite Beijing's denials, these regulations directly contradict the rights guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution, which allows different ethnic groups to use their own languages and customs. Additionally, the National Unity Law strengthens a colonial-style boarding school system, resulting in approximately one million Tibetan children being separated from their families and communities to undergo indoctrination in communist ideology.

Under the National Unity Law, all religious activities are required to support 'national unity' and accept 'Sinicization.' For Tibetan Buddhism, which is deeply intertwined with language, culture, and community, this represents a form of cultural erasure driven by state control.

Richard Gere urges American policymakers to understand the essence of the National Unity Law, which serves as a declaration that Beijing's ideological authority has extended beyond its borders. By criminalizing foreign criticism of its ethnic policies, Beijing is testing whether the international community will accept the notion that no one, anywhere, can challenge the historical narrative favored by the Chinese Communist Party. This is a test that the U.S. cannot afford to fail.

Criticism of the Chinese Communist Party has been sidelined by Hollywood.

Richard Gere, an internationally acclaimed actor, has faced a lifetime ban from entering China due to his long-standing commitment to advocating for Tibetan human rights. Furthermore, he has endured over twenty years of 'invisible exclusion' from major Hollywood studios, effectively resulting in a Hollywood blacklist.

Richard Gere's conflict with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dates back to the early 1990s. In 1993, he was invited to present an award at the 65th Academy Awards. During his speech, he unexpectedly went off-script and openly criticized the CCP for the 'terrible human rights situation' in Tibet. Consequently, he was banned from attending the Oscars for 20 years.

In 1997, Gere starred in the acclaimed political thriller 'Red Corner,' where he portrayed an American businessman who becomes ensnared in a judicial trap in China and is wrongfully imprisoned. The film offers a profound critique of the CCP's rigid and oppressive judicial system.

The film hit a sensitive spot for the CCP. Following its release, the government applied significant economic and market pressure on Hollywood studios like MGM, which distributed the film, resulting in studio executives treating it with indifference in their subsequent promotional efforts.

As the 2000s rolled in, the Chinese film market experienced explosive growth, becoming Hollywood's most crucial source of global box office revenue. For Hollywood blockbusters to succeed in China, they had to pass the stringent review process of the Beijing Film Bureau. Richard Gere disclosed to The Hollywood Reporter that many producers told him directly, 'We can't invest in a film with you in the lead role, because as long as your name is on the cast list, the film will definitely be barred from the Chinese market, and investors will lose their money.'

Even independent films that are never released in China can lead to serious repercussions for directors who wish to collaborate with them. Such directors may face transnational threats from the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) security apparatus, compelling them to cancel their projects tearfully just two weeks before filming begins.

Richard Gere has sharply pointed out that "there is no need for the Chinese Communist Party to directly intervene; Hollywood's film and television moguls will self-censor out of greed and self-interest."

Despite the CCP's attempts to suppress him, Richard Gere has remained steadfast. He has spent nearly 30 years blacklisted, demonstrating that true faith and integrity can withstand the pressures of capital suppression and political threats. While the CCP has pressured Hollywood to strip him of his salary and diminish his star status, they have been unable to break his personal resolve. In recent years, he has not only resisted but has also increasingly called on Western societies to stand firm against the CCP.

At the end of 2025, Richard Gere, as the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), addressed Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, publicly urging Western nations not to compromise with the CCP for the sake of temporary trade benefits or fluctuations in US-Canada relations.

In May and June 2026, Richard Gill delivered a stark warning during his speech at the prestigious Oslo Freedom Forum in Europe, stating, "The free world has fallen asleep, allowing these authoritarian dictators and the dictatorship of the monsters to expand unchecked." He urgently called for democratic nations to awaken and establish a united front.

By 2026, Western society—including the U.S. Congress and intelligence agencies—had finally jolted awake, realizing that the alarms sounded by Richard Gill thirty years earlier had transformed into pressing realities that they now had to face.

The Catalyst of Reckless Legislation Leading to Downfall

French historian Alexis de Tocqueville offered a keen insight in his book "The Old Regime and the Revolution": the most perilous moment for a failing regime is not necessarily when it is at its most brutal, but rather when it senses a crisis and attempts to tighten or reinforce its control. When the regime's internal fears and insecurities peak, it instinctively resorts to reckless legislation and the misuse of state power to stifle any potential dissent. This atmosphere of societal suffocation, driven by "reckless legislation born of fear," often acts as a catalyst for the regime's downfall.

During a time when the Chinese economy shows no signs of recovery, public discontent is escalating, and the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) authoritarian rule is facing a significant crisis, the CCP has been rapidly enacting a series of highly expansive and restrictive laws at a 'high frequency and high density.' Over the past three to five years alone, the CCP's National People's Congress and its Standing Committee have introduced dozens of laws and amendments concerning national security, ideological control, data sovereignty, and extraterritorial jurisdiction. International legal scholars have termed this phenomenon the 'weaponization of the overall national security concept' [20].

Notably, the 'National Unity and Progress Promotion Law,' which took effect on July 1, has removed the so-called 'political disguises' of 'respecting multiculturalism' and 'providing extra points for college entrance examinations for ethnic minorities.' Through these actions, the CCP has illustrated a well-known historical principle: when a totalitarian regime begins to aggressively enact oppressive laws, it is often driven by peak levels of internal fear and insecurity.

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