China’s new anti-espionage law comes into effect amid business worries

News Snapshot:

A revised law drastically broadening China’s definition of espionage came into effect, giving Beijing more power than ever to penalise what it considers risks to national security. According to the US government, analysts and lawyers the modifications to Beijing’s anti-espionage law are ambiguous and will allow authorities more latitude in enforcing existing ambiguous national security legislation. The amendments, which were initially made available for public comment in December 2022, were formally approved by China’s top legislative body in April. Chinese law already imposes heavy penalties for people accused of espionage, ranging from life in jail to execution in extreme circumstances....