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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Helen Davidson in Taipei

China widens ‘already breathtaking’ scope to arrest foreigners for espionage

Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist who is being held in China under espionage laws.
Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist who is being held in China under espionage laws. Further amendments have widened to scope to investigate individuals, especially in regard to cyber security. Photograph: Ng Han Guan/AP

China has drastically broadened its anti-espionage laws in amendments that legal experts warn could further heighten risk to foreign individuals and organisations operating in the country.

The amendments were passed by Beijing’s rubber-stamp parliament on Wednesday afternoon. The long-foreshadowed changes broaden the law’s scope to encompass anything deemed by authorities to cover national security, and expand the search and seizure powers of authorities, as well as the implementation of entry and exit bans on individuals.

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