Victoria Herczegh
The Chinese government recently introduced a new set of regulations, set to take effect in 2026, to manage Chinese citizens employed by foreign diplomatic and consular missions in China. The new rules state that the Chinese Foreign Ministry will strictly handle the hiring process of these employees, who must abide by a code of conduct that upholds Chinese law. Like the travel restrictions imposed last month on public sector workers, the move means to tighten state control over foreign influence, drawing a clear line between foreign and domestic authority, as well as monitoring Chinese citizens’ loyalty to their country’s political system, laws and values.
Though the government in Beijing has always tried to instill a sense of loyalty to the ruling party and its leaders, laws like these suggest there is a newfound sense of urgency to maintain unity. Given China’s recent economic instability, the urgency is unsurprising. But even in times of prosperity, unity is historically elusive in a country as large, populous and regionally disparate as China. Economic duress is only one element. For now, China’s primary imperative is to survive the trade conflict so that its most important economic sectors can begin to recover.
The importance of uniting China cannot be overstated. Not only is it crucial in keeping the nation itself stable, but it also enables its leaders to influence and build, upgrade or mend relations with other countries. It is also very difficult. Throughout its history, China has struggled to lift up the poorer, rural interior provinces, even as the coastal provinces have thrived. This is why the Chinese government has long tried to enact measures to narrow the wealth gap. More recent attempts, such as the “common prosperity” campaign, failed because of systemic problems like urban-rural divides and market-driven inequalities. Neither is unique to China, of course, but China’s size and divisions make them more pronounced – as do periods of economic hardship. In past times of economic struggle, the regions of China’s periphery tended to feel the pressure first, so they were also likely to engage in unrest. (Which is why places like Tibet and Xinjiang are so heavily scrutinized by the West.)
Ultimately, this is why Beijing spends so much time promoting loyalty. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee, for example, recently reviewed the draft Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which promotes social integration, economic development and oversight of ethnic minorities, as well as the Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language, which advocates use of standard Chinese across all sectors. Both drafts can be linked to the Chinese government’s renewed promotion of “ethnic unity.” Clearly, the government is now placing special attention on the country’s peripheral regions. Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and some senior members of the Chinese Communist Party paid a rare visit to Tibet, praised its local government for “engaging in a struggle against separatism,” and called for stability and unity along China’s borders. Even more recently, Xi attended the 70th anniversary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the first time any president has ever been present for this celebration.
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