China Launches 2026 Ethnic Unity Awareness Week Under New Legal Framework

China launched its 2026 Ethnic Unity and Progress Awareness Week in Beijing on September 21, marking the first nationwide campaign since the formal implementation of the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress. Li Ganjie, head of the Central United Front Work Department, declared the initiative open alongside senior officials from state ethnic, judicial, and social work bodies. The campaign focuses on public legal education, inter-ethnic youth exchanges, and community-level social work to strengthen national cohesion.

This campaign serves as the central rollout vehicle for the newly enacted Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, demonstrating Beijing's push to anchor ethnic integration in statutory law. The extensive involvement of social work and justice authorities highlights a shift toward embedding the party line on national identity into routine grassroots administration and civil governance.

Beijing launched its 2026 Ethnic Unity and Progress Awareness Week on September 21, marking the first nationwide promotional drive since the formal implementation of the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress. Li Ganjie, a member of the CCP Central Committee Political Bureau and head of the Central United Front Work Department, attended the main launch event in Beijing and formally declared the awareness week open, according to state media reports. Organized under the theme of "promoting ethnic unity and progress and forging ahead on the journey of great rejuvenation," the week involves nationwide publicity and educational activities focused on casting a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. An official from the National Ethnic Affairs Commission stated at the launch that authorities nationwide must use the campaign to study, implement, and enforce the new law, aiming to enhance cohesion and shared national identity. During the ceremony, representatives from all 56 officially recognized ethnic groups delivered a joint initiative calling on citizens to act as guardians of the country, inheritors of Chinese culture, facilitators of integration, and contributors to Chinese-style modernization. Officials emphasized that safeguarding national unity is a collective civic responsibility. The event also showcased existing grassroots programs, including the "Ethnic Unity Builds Dreams" volunteer service initiative and professional social work support schemes operating in old revolutionary base areas, ethnic minority regions, and border districts. Municipal authorities highlighted Beijing's local achievements in ethnic integration work. In addition, organizers debuted the first batch of activity brands under an inter-ethnic youth exchange initiative and released a documentary series titled *Pomegranate Blossoms: Forging the Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation*, co-produced by China Media Group and the National Ethnic Affairs Commission. The main event demonstrated coordinated institutional backing, co-hosted by the Central United Front Work Department, the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Central Social Work Department, the National People's Congress Ethnic Affairs Committee, the Ministry of Justice, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government.