China seeks global leadership. Its factories dominate the world’s supply chains, and its infrastructure ambitions stretch from Asia to Africa, Europe, and beyond.

Yet global leadership is not built on economic strength alone. Enduring influence also depends on soft power, political freedoms, and the ability to cultivate diversity. China has demonstrated the first with major success. But Beijing’s pursuit of political control and cultural uniformity undermines its potential to lead the world.

China seeks global leadership. Its factories dominate the world’s supply chains, and its infrastructure ambitions stretch from Asia to Africa, Europe, and beyond.

Yet global leadership is not built on economic strength alone. Enduring influence also depends on soft power, political freedoms, and the ability to cultivate diversity. China has demonstrated the first with major success. But Beijing’s pursuit of political control and cultural uniformity undermines its potential to lead the world.

A key example is the new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which comes into force in July. The law strengthens the role of Mandarin as the language of instruction in schools across “minority” regions, continuing Chinese President Xi Jingping’s shift away from the country’s original policies of preserving minority languages. While framed as a measure to promote national unity, the new law marginalizes minorities and builds on the push under Xi to force Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Mongolians to “Sinicize.”

Uniformity also drives China’s policy of “Sinicization of religion.” All religious institutions are expected to align with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ideology and state-defined cultural norms. Churches have been ordered to remove crosses from buildings........

© Foreign Policy