On Friday, China’s leading lawmakers pledged to pass numerous new laws in order to protect the nation’s sovereign interests and “modernize China’s system and capabilities for national security.”
At the Beijing annual meeting of parliament, approximately 170 members of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) promised to pass laws pertaining to emergency management and atomic energy.
Zhao Leji, the chairman of the NPCSC and the third-ranking official in the Communist Party, presented a work report in which he stated that this year they would also amend the regulations pertaining to cybersecurity and national defense education.
In response to the escalating geopolitical struggle, President Xi Jinping has placed a greater emphasis on averting both internal and external dangers, which is reflected in the yearly legislative plan.
China’s large tech regulations are anchored on the cybersecurity law that was passed in 2016. Citing worries over national security, Beijing has tightened regulations over the last three years about how its enterprises handle and transit user data. The Supreme People’s Court promised in its own work report for this year to “apply the notion of overall national security” to its operations. Xi did not open the work report for most of Zhao’s speech. Nonetheless, Xi engaged in a lively conversation with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Wang Huning, the Party’s fourth-ranking official responsible for Taiwan policy, as Chinese Supreme Court Chief Zhang Jun read out his work report.
The legislative body intends to update current laws on mineral resources, unfair competition, public bidding, and civil aviation in addition to crafting new legislation this year, which will include a financial stability law and a bill promoting the private sector. The legislative body intends to create an environmental code as well.
The work report provided no additional information, but the creation of rules promoting the private sector may be a sign of hope for private companies that have lost faith in the wake of anti-espionage regulations and restrictions on international data transfers that have been implemented in recent years.
With a commitment to “strengthen legislation in sectors affecting foreign affairs and build a system of laws for extraterritorial applicability,” the NPCSC report also adopted an international focus.
Zhao stated in the NPCSC report that “we will employ lawful ways to stand up for our country in the international arena and fiercely preserve our sovereignty, security, and development interests.”
The draft of Article 23, the national security measure, was released by the Hong Kong government on Friday. Without specifically addressing the Chinese-controlled financial hub, the NPCSC work report pledged to “ensure that the legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms for preserving national security are appropriately implemented” in “special administrative zones” like Hong Kong.
This year, the NPCSC also promised to increase exchanges with overseas parliaments, including seminars for staff members of foreign parliaments held in China.
(Reuters)
