The United States government, analysts, and lawyers say that the revisions to Beijing's anti-espionage law are vague and will give authorities more leeway in implementing already opaque national security legislation.
Originally released for public comment in December 2022, the revisions were formally approved by China's top legislative body in April.
Chinese law already meted out harsh punishment for those involved in alleged espionage, from life in prison to execution in extreme cases.
In May, a 78-year-old U.S. citizen was sentenced to life in prison on spying charges.
Under the revised law, "relying on espionage organizations and their agents" as well as the unauthorized obtaining of "documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests" can constitute a spying offense.
Beijing insists it has the right to "safeguard its national security through legislation" and says it will "uphold the rule of law."
But experts have warned that the changes could sweep up those with even tenuous links to organizations accused of spying.
https://www.voanews.com/a/china-s-sweeping-new-anti-espionage-law-comes-into-effect-/7162900.html
Is China's definition of what constitutes spying one of the loosest in the world?
After the changes made, could China's definition of spying be one of the loosest in the world, or does it compare favourably to those of Western countries? It sounds like there might be government overreach here, and they're just trying to grab more power for themselves, but I would be interested in knowing exactly how loose the definition has become compared to other countries.
