A proposed customs union, analogous to the EU, centred on China and anchored by common 'Sinitic' culture. A more inclusive term than 'Chinese', 'Sinitic’ is designed to overcome the restriction of 'Chinese' people to the Han ethnic majority. The term has been used since the Republican era to underscore the unity of Han, Manchu, Tibetan, Mongolian, Uyghur and other nationalities. In current diplomatic language it underscores the common 'Chineseness' of the PRC (and by extension Taiwan), Mongolia, Japan, North and South Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore.