BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Thursday adopted a law to promote ethnic unity and progress, reinforcing the legal foundation for national cohesion and common prosperity among 56 ethnic groups as the country enters the final decade in its drive to basically achieve modernization by 2035.

The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, a fundamental law on ethnic affairs in China, was adopted at the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC). It will take effect on July 1, 2026.

The new law embeds the vision of "fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation" into the country's legal framework and advances the law-based governance of ethnic affairs, said Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, in his explanatory remarks on the draft.

The law dedicates chapters to fostering a shared sense of belonging for the Chinese nation, promoting interaction, exchange and integration, and advancing common prosperity and development among all ethnic groups.

Specific provisions direct central and local governments to strengthen infrastructure, foster industrial growth, ensure better access to public services, and intensify efforts to protect the environment, among other measures.

According to Li, the new legislation sets out China's major policies for supporting high-quality development in ethnic minority regions, providing institutional and legal backing to help these regions integrate into the national development agenda and meet the aspirations of all ethnic groups for a better life.

"Development in ethnic minority regions should not just rely on temporary assistance but also on sustained policy support guaranteed by the new law," said Chen Zhen, an NPC deputy from the Dong ethnic group in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Many ethnic minority communities reside in mountainous areas, far-off regions or other historically underdeveloped parts of China. Benefiting from China's poverty alleviation drive and ongoing rural revitalization efforts, ethnic minority regions have recorded rapid economic and social development.

During China's eight-year campaign to eliminate absolute poverty, declared victory in 2021, all 420 poverty-stricken counties in ethnic autonomous areas and all 28 ethnic groups with relatively small populations shook off poverty.

The combined GDP of the five autonomous regions, which are home to large ethnic minority populations -- Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Xizang, Ningxia, and Xinjiang -- grew at an average annual rate of 5.6 percent from 2020 to 2024, outpacing the national average.

Public services in ethnic minority regions have leapfrogged. Xizang, for example, led the entire country in starting to provide 15 years of publicly-funded education from kindergarten to senior high in 2012. The 15-year free schooling has also been available in four southern prefectures in Xinjiang.

The new law provides that the state shall promote the standard spoken and written Chinese language. The right to study and use ethnic minority languages shall also be respected and safeguarded, according to the law.

Lawmakers and experts said the remarkable economic and social achievements in ethnic minority regions have been buttressed by continuous efforts to safeguard ethnic unity, which is one underlying logic behind the new law.

"Unity is the precondition for progress, while progress reinforces unity," Chen said.

The new law stipulates that upholding national unity and ethnic solidarity is the responsibility of all Chinese citizens, and prohibits discrimination and suppression against any ethnic group.

It also combats violent terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism, saying organizers, planners, perpetrators, instigators and funders of these activities may face criminal liability.

"Development in ethnic minority areas requires a stable and harmonious environment, and such an environment must be safeguarded by the rule of law," said Yin Jianmin, an NPC deputy from the Manchu ethnic group and chairperson of an agricultural technology company from Gansu Province in northwest China.