China passes Counterespionage Law, aiming for comprehensive state security  

中国制定反间谍法 明确界定间谍行为

十二届全国人大常委会第十一次会议1日上午经表决通过了反间谍法。该法对间谍行为进行明确定义，指出为间谍组织招募人员等六类行为为间谍行为，这是中国首次对具体间谍行为进行法律认定。[查看全文]

China's top legislature adopted the Counterespionage Law Saturday aimed at more comprehensive state security.

Members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) passed the bill through a vote at the closing of the bi-monthly legislative session.

Formerly known as the National Security Law, it includes new rules that have proven effective in practice.

The bill specifies espionage's definition: foreign organizations and individuals who conduct espionage activities or who instigate and sponsor others in conducting them will be punished, as will domestic organizations and individuals who spy on the country for foreign organizations and individuals.

It grants national security agencies the authority to ask an organization or individual to stop or change activities considered harmful to national security. If they refuse or fail to do so, the agencies will be entitled to seal or seize related properties.

The agencies are also entitled to seal and seize any device, money, venue, supplies and other properties that are related to espionage activities, according to the bill.

They will be either confiscated by national security agencies or handed over to judicial departments.

The illegal income and properties gained through knowingly hiding and fencing properties related to espionage will be confiscated, the bill says.

However, lawmakers suggested regulating counterespionage power. It stipulates that "counterespionage work should proceed according to law, respect and ensure human rights, and guarantee the legal interests of citizens and organizations."

Information and material obtained for counterespionage work should only be limited in the field, and confidentiality should be ensured regarding state and commercial secrets and personal privacy, the law says.

It also bans illegally possessing special espionage instruments. In order to prevent law enforcement at discretion, the bill says whether something is considered an instrument of espionage should be confirmed by state security departments according to regulations.

The stipulation was added after lawmakers suggested that electronic devices like smart phones can also be used in espionage.

The law also rewrites articles that were not in line with other laws that have been revised in recent years, including the Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law.

Taking effect in 1993, the National Security Law mainly regulates the work of the country's national security agencies, whose major duty is counterespionage. It has not been revised since then.

The National Security Law ceased Saturday after the new law was released, the bill says.

Sun Baoshu, deputy head of the NPC Law Committee, said it is necessary to transform the National Security Law into the Counterespionage Law in order to "prepare for a comprehensive and fundamental state security law."

President Xi Jinping advocated an "overall national security outlook" at the first meeting of the central national security commission in April.

Xi stressed that the challenges China faces in maintaining national security today are more diverse than they have ever been, as it has seen complicated internal and external situations.