China reviewed two draft laws on Monday to increase the standard Chinese use among ethnic minorities, according to the South China Morning Post. These proposals reflect Beijing’s wider campaign to promote spoken and written Mandarin.
The government aims to promote the standard Chinese language in areas such as education, public administration, international exchanges and online platforms. These fields have increasingly become areas for language policy enforcement.
Barry Sautman, an expert and professor emeritus at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, stated that the revisions advocate for the national language in documents, packaging and signage. He also noted the proposals seem to allow bilingual use where needed.
The draft allows foreign languages at international conferences and exhibitions, but requires standard Chinese to be used alongside them.
Opponents warn that these measures may undermine minority traditions and cultural expression. In Inner Mongolia, authorities reportedly enforced Mandarin in schools, restricted artistic expression, and abolished local laws that conflicted with national policy.
Sautman noted that many minority citizens speak Mandarin, but written literacy is uneven. He compared this to Quebec, where French speakers often read and write English.
