28-2-2024 (BEIJING) Chinese lawmakers recently approved the first expansion of Beijing’s state secrets law since 2010, introducing a broader category of restricted information termed “work secrets,” according to the full text of the law released online.
On Tuesday, February 27, China’s top legislative body passed the revised Law on Guarding State Secrets, set to become effective from May 1, as reported by Xinhua.
This expansion is seen by analysts as another manifestation of President Xi Jinping’s heightened emphasis on national security. Last April, there was a comprehensive update to Beijing’s anti-espionage law, prompting concerns in some countries that it could be wielded to penalize routine business activities.
Last year, Chinese police raids on several management consultancies, including Mintz Group and Bain & Co, raised anxieties within the foreign business community in China. Additionally, a Japanese pharmaceutical executive has been detained in Beijing since last March on espionage allegations.
While state secrets have traditionally covered areas such as government and Communist Party decision-making, military and diplomatic affairs, and economic development, science, and technology, the revised law now includes a mandate for government agencies and work units to safeguard information that, while not classified as state secrets, could have adverse effects if leaked.
Ryan Mitchell, a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, noted that the inclusion of “work secrets” seems to expand the already broad application of the law. He suggested that this addition likely aims to prevent the leakage of information concerning the organizational structure and decision-making hierarchy of state institutions.
The revised law seeks to “strengthen the systematisation, comprehensiveness, and synergy” of the laws related to national security and state secrets, according to an unnamed official from the State Secrets Bureau quoted by Xinhua. The official mentioned that the revision explicitly integrates the Party’s management of secrecy into the law and urged online operators to cooperate with relevant departments in investigating and handling cases suspected of leaking state secrets.
Moreover, the legislation enhances coordination with China’s Data Security Law for the management of confidential data, the official added.
Over the past year, the Ministry of State Security has used its official WeChat social media account to caution the public about staying vigilant against foreign espionage efforts.
