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China’s Inner Mongolia emerges as model for Xi Jinping’s ethnic affairs policy, but analysts warn of cultural ‘erosion’
- The autonomous region trumpets its success in assimilating minority groups to promote national identity through language, censorship and local laws
- The policies do not attract as much criticism as those in Tibet or Xinjiang and are likely to be rolled out in other autonomous regions, analysts say
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Yuanyue Dangin Beijing
A decade after President Xi Jinping called for “a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation” as the cornerstone of his ethnic affairs policy, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region has emerged as a model for implementing the leader’s vision.
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The region in northern China, bordered by the country of Mongolia in the north, prides itself on its efforts to assimilate its ethnic minority groups – mainly Mongols – with the rest of the Chinese population while promoting a single national identity.
The measures include the compulsory use of Mandarin as the teaching language in schools, censorship of art and cultural works, and repealing local laws that do not align with the ethnic affairs policy.
While Inner Mongolia has trumpeted its success, analysts have raised concerns that the policies could weaken the identity of ethnic minority groups. They say the region’s policies are a sign of things to come for China’s other autonomous regions.
According to the 2020 national census, the combined population of China’s 55 ethnic minority groups totalled 125 million, accounting for about 8.9 per cent of the country’s population.
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