Why Europe should stop lecturing China on human rights Submitted by Marco Carnelos on Wed, 07/15/2026 - 20:31 As EU leaders lash out at Beijing over new legislation on ethnic unity, the hypocrisy and double standards could not be more glaring Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives at the opening ceremony for the World AI Conference in Shanghai, China on 17 July, 2026 (Reuters) On Five years ago, Middle East Eye published a column noting that it would be unwise, to say the least, for the United States to engage Iran, Russia and China at the same time. Unfortunately, the US has forged ahead with exactly this policy - with disastrous results. Incredibly, the European Union, far less powerful than the US by any metric, seems determined to follow the same mistaken path, and has now turned its attention to China.
In mid-June, EU leaders agreed to address “global macroeconomic imbalances”, referring to China’s increasing trade surplus with Europe. The EU has also moved to curb China’s role in the tech sector, while wading into Beijing’s internal politics. Earlier this year, China’s legislature adopted the landmark Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which took effect at the start of July.
The law encourages members of China’s 56 ethnic groups to adopt a common national identity. The European Parliament responded with a resolution condemning the law and warning China that its implementation would “lead to severe consequences for EU-China relations”. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); From Beijing’s viewpoint, this act is not only gross interference in China’s internal affairs, but also a textbook case of western hypocrisy, double standards and willful ignorance.
The EU’s central charge - that the law envisages a forced assimilation of minority groups - seems weak, to say the least. The law explicitly stipulates that upholding national unity and ethnic solidarity is the responsibility of all Chinese citizens, while prohibiting discrimination against any ethnic group. It also mandates state support for infrastructure, public services and economic development in ethnic minority regions - provisions that directly benefit the more than 125 million citizens belonging to China’s ethnic minority groups.
Disingenuous objection Article 15 of the law explicitly notes that while the state promotes standard spoken and written Mandarin Chinese, …
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