China Has Revised Its State Secrets Law, Worrying Foreign Businesses
China has broadened the scope of its state secrets law aimed at bolstering government control over internet companies. But the changes have spooked foreign businesses who worry about the amendment's unclear wording.
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00:00China just updated its state secrets law in a move aimed at enhancing its national security
00:06Sally what is this new revision?
00:10On Wednesday China broadened the scope of its state secrets laws aimed at bolstering state control over
00:18internet companies
00:20Beijing hopes it will strengthen national security and counter espionage measures after the United States is central
00:27Intelligence agency last year announced that it had strengthened its own networks in China
00:33Now the original law covered the way that military facilities and Communist Party organs managed
00:40sensitive information
00:41But the amendment that is now causing wider fears is that it now compels internet companies or so-called
00:48Network operators that's huge companies like Tencent
00:53Weibo and ByteDance to monitor user
00:56posts and
00:58pass on or hand over any
01:01information or data stored on their networks to China's state security apparatus if they ask for it and
01:09Sally what has the international response been?
01:12Well the revision to the state secrets laws impacts Chinese tech firms, but it also impacts foreign businesses
01:20Who are now?
01:21expressing worries about the laws
01:24unpredictability
01:26Uncertainty and lack of clarity and there's particular concern about a new category called work secrets
01:33Which they say is ambiguously defined and vulnerable to inconsistent
01:39Interpretation which could lead to arbitrary arrests
01:42Which is why here Taiwan's mainland Affairs Council that deals with cross-strait relations has issued a strongly worded
01:51caution against visiting China now
01:55Particularly concerned about the over
01:58100,000 Taiwanese people doing business over there the changes come amid growing tensions between the u.s.
02:06and China
02:07And widespread global concerns about Beijing clamping down on online content that it deems as harmful
02:14To its own interests. So while China claims a need to protect its national security
02:21This update to the state secrets law could end up harming its openness for business