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 A core component of the law, passed by the standing committee of the
National People's Congress (NPC), is to make all key network
infrastructure and information systems "secure and controllable".
President Xi Jinping has said China's security covers areas
including politics, culture, the military, the economy, technology
and the environment.
But foreign business groups and diplomats have argued that the law
is vague and fear it could require that technology firms make
products in China or use source code released to inspectors, forcing
them to expose intellectual property.
Zheng Shuna, vice chairwoman of the Legislative Affairs Commission
of the NPC standing committee, downplayed those concerns, saying
China welcomes "all countries' businesses to operate in China and
provide legitimate services according to law".
"We will continue to follow the path of peaceful development but we
absolutely will not give up our legitimate rights and absolutely
will not sacrifice the country's core interests," she said at a
briefing.
The security of territorial seas and airspace is among those core
interests, which, according to the legislation, China will take "all
necessary measures" to safeguard.
The law, which comes amid tensions with neighbors over disputes in
the South China and East China Seas, passed through the NPC standing
committee, the top body of China's rubber stamp parliament, by a
vote of 154 to zero, with one abstention.
'GROWING INFLUENCE OF HARDLINERS'
The national security law is part of a raft of government
legislation - including laws on anti-terrorism, cyber security and
foreign non-government organizations - that have drawn criticism
from foreign governments, business and civil society groups.
Those policies, many of which have cyber security components, have
emerged after former National Security Agency contractor Edward
Snowden disclosed that U.S. spy agencies planted code in American
tech exports to snoop on overseas targets.
"The fact that these different pieces of legislation are all moving
forward in tandem indicates the seriousness of Beijing's commitment
as well as the growing influence of hardliners shaping China's
technology policy agenda," Samm Sacks, an analyst at U.S.-based
consulting firm Eurasia Group, said in an emailed statement.
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Critics have argued that the extensive nature of the law, which
covers everything from China's deep sea and space assets to "harmful
cultural influences", constitutes national security overreach.
Its passage also coincides with a crackdown on dissent, as the
government has detained and jailed activists and blamed "foreign
forces" for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong last year.
Hong Kong and Macau must "fulfill responsibilities to safeguard
national security" according to the law, which also covers crimes of
subversion and inciting rebellion. That reference could spark more
fears of Beijing encroaching on Hong Kong's rule of law.
Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997 under a "one country,
two systems" formula, with the promise of a high degree of autonomy.
Unlike on the mainland, Hong Kong does not have laws criminalizing
subversion of the state. Macau, a former Portuguese colony, returned
to China in 1999.
Some seven months after Hong Kong police forcibly cleared
pro-democracy protesters from the streets, tens of thousands of
people were expected to rally for free elections on Wednesday as the
city marks the 18th anniversary of its return to China.
(Additional reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan
and Nick Macfie)
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