Now turning to international news...

China is adopting what they call a new "ethnic unity" law...

which critics say tightens assimilation and weakens minority rights.

Legislators at the National People's Congress approved it.

One official says it aims to build a shared national identity across every
group and workplace.

Scholars say the law undercuts autonomy promised by China to these ethnic
minorities...

mandating Mandarin as the primary teaching language in compulsory education.

Experts say, language about mixing communities is also concerning.

They warn it may lead to the breaking up of minority neighborhoods.

The law also opens penalties for actions abroad that Beijing claims pose a
harm to "ethnic unity."

The penalties for people abroad are similar to those which Beijing imposed on
Hong Kong in 2020, stating that authorities can prosecute people based
outside China over actions Beijing sees as secession or subversion.