China’s new family education law, if strictly implemented, may cause greater policy gridlock under President Xi Jinping by increasing support for liberal political factions and prompting public protests against local authorities from parents and youth. On Oct. 23, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed the Family Education Promotion Law (FEPL), which requires social institutions and parents to educate minors in line with Beijing’s orthodox political views. The law, which will come into force on Jan. 1, stipulates parents and all social institutions that nurture children (including schools, healthcare facilities, public entertainment venues, and news outlets) must conduct “family education services” that cultivate socialist moral qualities, physical fitness, political loyalty, cultural orthodoxy, and “healthy” (less digital) leisure activities in minors. This includes requiring parents and institutions to encourage children to love the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), develop an unflinching work ethic driven by a desire to make China...
