China has passed a law that widens the scope for classifying “secrets”, as the government seeks to shore up state security, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The changes are the first to the law since 2010 and have been adopted by China’s top legislative body. The revised law will come into effect from May 1.
The expanded laws are proof of the government under president Xi Jinping tightening national security.
What New Law Says
The revised law covers a wide range of sectors including education, technology and internet use to military facilities. These changes come at a time when Beijing is locked in an intelligence war with the West.
The new law requires government agencies and work units to protect pieces of information “that are not state secrets but will cause certain adverse effects if leaked.”
The revised law would “strengthen the systematisation, comprehensiveness and synergy” of the set of laws concerning national security and state secrets, an unnamed official from the State Secrets Bureau was quoted in Xinhua as saying.
According to the South China Morning Post, the revised law bars all state employees with access to classified information from travelling abroad without prior authorisation and even after they have retired.
Experts believe that these laws are likely to have an adverse impact on foreign enterprises in the country. The revisions will lead to foreign businesses to strike a balance between operational transparency and compliance with China’s stringent security laws.
There are an estimated 31 million people employed by the state and that includes state-owned enterprises, public institutions and agencies.
According to the new norms, the revision requires all levels of government – from county level up – to set aside funds in their annual budget for keeping information confidential
The government has increasingly taken to its official WeChat social media account since last year to warn the public to stay vigilant against foreign espionage efforts.
