纽约时报中文网 - 英文原版-英China Expands Scope of State Secrets Law in Security Push
February 29, 2024 2 min 290 words
这则报道揭示了中国政府在强化安全措施方面的最新举措。扩大国家秘密法的适用范围，既是对内加强稳定，也是对外维护国家形象的表现。然而，这一举措引发了关于言论自由和透明度的担忧。权力过度集中可能导致信息封锁，限制社会监督，从而加深对政权的不信任。在追求安全的同时，权衡言论自由是一个复杂而关键的议题。中国政府应当注意确保法规的合理性和透明性，以平衡国家安全和公众利益，进一步发展法治社会。
China passed revisions to an already stringent state secrets law, broadening the scope of the type of information that would be considered a national security risk in the world’s second-largest economy.
The changes elevate the risks for foreign businesses operating in the country. Over the last year, China has targeted consultants and business executives in espionage cases as part of a push to limit the spread of information sought by investors and foreign companies.
The amendments to the state secrets law, which were passed by China’s top legislative body on Tuesday and go into effect in May, include a new legal concept called “work secrets.” It is defined as information that is not an official state secret, but “will cause certain adverse effects if leaked,” according to the law’s text.
“The law is vague and the definition of state secret so broad that it could include anything that the party-state decides it should,” said Diana Choyleva, chief economist at Enodo Economics, a London-based research firm focused on China. “It will also further complicate life for foreign firms and their employees based in China.”
Ms. Choyleva said many companies will be trapped in a state of “paralysis” while they wait to see how China applies the new provisions in the law.
It is the latest example of the country’s heightened vigilance of state security under the leadership of Xi Jinping. Over the last few years, China has progressively fortified its national security and data sharing laws, while warning about the risks of spying under the cloak of business.