China’s State Secrets Law to cover high tech

China has amended its State Secrets Law to expand the coverage to high technology industries and improve security in areas near military sites.

The National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee on Tuesday revised its Law on Guarding State Secrets. The amendment, which will take effect on May 1, said the nation encourages and supports the research and application of new technologies that can help protect its secrecy science and technology.

“Currently, a new round of scientific and technological revolution is rapidly evolving,” An unnamed spokesperson of the National Administration of State Secrets Protection told Xinhua on Wednesday. “New technologies and applications such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence are emerging, resulting in higher requirements on self-reliance and self-reliance in information security technologies.”

He said the amended State Secrets Law will provide a legal basis for the protection of the intellectual property of information security product makers.

He said the revision can also strengthen the connection between the State Secrets Law and the Data Security Law.

Established in June 2021, the Data Security Law prohibits foreign judicial authorities from requesting data on Chinese citizens without first seeking permission from Chinese authorities.

Military facilities

Passed in 1988 and amended in 2010, the existing State Secrets Law forbids the opening of military restricted and management areas, as well as other places with state secrets, to outsiders without approval.

The amended law says government departments should strengthen their security in areas surrounding classified military facilities and other important secret-related units.

The Chinese Communist Party