The World Uyghur Congress has called for stronger international action against China's policies towards Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, warning that Beijing's new ethnic unity law could deepen cultural, linguistic and religious assimilation in Xinjiang.
In its latest weekly briefing, the Munich-based advocacy organisation urged governments to use diplomatic, legal and economic measures to challenge what it describes as continuing abuses against Uyghurs. It also called on businesses to address forced-labour risks in their supply chains and urged civil society organisations to push for stronger action at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The appeal comes amid renewed scrutiny of China's Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which came into effect on July 1.
Beijing presents the legislation as a measure intended to strengthen unity among China's ethnic groups, prevent discrimination and promote common development. Uyghur advocacy organisations, however, argue that the law gives the Chinese state greater authority to promote a single national identity at the expense of minority languages, cultures and religious practices.
More than 50 Uyghur diaspora and civil society organisations called for the law's repeal in July, describing it as an instrument of forced assimilation. The groups argue that its provisions reinforce Communist Party control over ethnic affairs and encourage minorities to identify more closely with a state-defined Chinese national identity.
Particular concern has focused on provisions relating to language and education. The legislation promotes the use of standard spoken and written Chinese, while critics fear minority languages such as Uyghur could face further marginalisation.
The World Uyghur Congress has also warned that parts of the legislation could strengthen Beijing's ability to exert pressure beyond China's borders, raising concerns about what human rights groups describe as transnational repression of Uyghurs and other Chinese dissidents living overseas.
The renewed campaign coincides with the fourth anniversary of a landmark report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Published in August 2022, the assessment documented allegations of arbitrary detention, restrictions on religious practices, family separation, reproductive rights violations and other abuses against Uyghurs and predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The UN human rights office concluded that the scale of arbitrary and discriminatory detention “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.”
The World Uyghur Congress says those concerns have not been adequately addressed and argues that the international community has failed to ensure meaningful accountability four years after the UN assessment.
Human Rights Watch reached a similar conclusion in an August 2026 assessment, saying evidence continued to indicate arbitrary detention, imprisonment, mass surveillance, cultural and religious erasure, restrictions on travel and communication, and pressure against Uyghurs living abroad.
The organisation also highlighted concerns about forced labour entering international supply chains, including sectors such as textiles, solar panels, automobiles, seafood, agriculture and critical minerals.
The United States has increasingly attempted to address the issue through trade restrictions. Under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, goods produced wholly or partly in Xinjiang are presumed to involve forced labour unless importers can demonstrate otherwise.
US lawmakers have recently pushed for stronger enforcement of those restrictions, seeking information from the Department of Homeland Security about goods potentially connected to forced labour in China.
China has consistently rejected accusations of widespread human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Beijing says its policies have helped combat terrorism and extremism while improving economic development and living standards. Chinese authorities have also defended programmes described by critics as coercive labour or assimilation policies as legitimate employment, poverty-reduction and vocational initiatives.
The dispute has consequently become one of the most persistent human rights flashpoints in China's relations with Western governments.
For the World Uyghur Congress, the latest ethnic unity legislation represents evidence that the issue is shifting rather than disappearing. The organisation argues that international pressure must now move beyond statements of concern towards coordinated diplomatic action, stronger enforcement against forced-labour supply chains and renewed scrutiny of China's policies through the United Nations.
