China expands State secrets law to include 'Work Secrets' in regulatory update, foreign businesses worried

In a significant regulatory update, China has expanded its State secrets law to now include 'Work Secrets,' causing heightened apprehension among foreign businesses about the potential implications and impact on operations within the authoritarian Asian country.

China has intensified its already strong national security campaign after its legislative body passed a regulatory update in the State Secrets law. President Xi Jinping has diverted most of his attention towards tightening the grip on Chinese society as well as on information from ‘outside’ entities.

The latest update now includes the protection of non-state secrets that could have a serious impact if leaked. The state machinery and agencies will now need to focus on non-state secrets as well as state secrets from getting into public discourse. The latest inclusion was passed on Tuesday and it will come into effect from May 1.

State secrets encompass a spectrum from governmental and Communist Party deliberations to military and diplomatic affairs, extending into economic progress, scientific advancements, and technological innovations. With the inclusion of non-state secrets, the CCP has made the law complex, leaving room for all types of information suppression.

An unnamed official from the State Secrets Bureau was quoted saying, “This revision has clearly written the Party's management of secrecy into the law. (Online operators must) cooperate with relevant departments in investigating and handling cases suspected of leaking state secrets.”

China's President Xi Jinping is facing increasing unpopularity among Chinese people, especially after his zero Covid policy. The 70-year-old leader is bent on increasing the national security apparatus as fears of revolt grip Beijing. With economic growth slowing down, Xi faces both domestic as well as global challenges.