CHINA TOPIX

11/02/2024 11:23:22 am

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China Restructures Anti-Terror Intelligence Law

Military in Xinjiang

(Photo : Reuters) Military and security in Xinjiang has been increased due to the attacks by Uighur militants.

China will revamp its national counter-terrorism intelligence system as part of an amendment to the country's anti-terror law expected to be passed later this week following reports of escalating violence in the western Xinjian region.

The new anti-terrorism law is expected to enhance intelligence data-gathering and information dissemination across all government agencies. Chinese authorities also hope the new amendments would boost regional and international cooperation, state-owned media announced on Monday.

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Additional improvements to the reform will focus on Internet management and the supervision of dangerous materials passage and enhanced border controls, government-owned Xinhua news relayed.

For the past two years, hundreds have died in Xinjiang due to the conflict the Chinese government has blamed on the Uighur Islamists in the region who want to breakaway and create East Turkestan, a nation wholly separate from China.

However, various rights groups have pointed to China's rigid policies as cause for building resentment among the Xinjiang Uighurs that may have pushed them to violence.

Recent attacks in the embattled province have underscored the country's weak intelligence safeguards despite the presence of authorities in the area.

Case in point, insurgents had managed to stage a bomb and knife attack at a local train station in April. At the time, security presence had been massive owing to President Xi Jinping's visit to the region.

The Chinese government is also planning to change its National Security Law to include counter-espionage provisions, a separate Xinhua report said although no further details were provided.

China has infamously blanketed laws to protect state secrets - from industry data protections to birthdays of state officials. Other information can also be marked as national secrets should do the government decide to do so.

Last August, officials said a Canadian couple who owned a coffee shop near the border with North Korea was being investigated for threatening national security under the suspicion that the couple had stolen state military and intelligence secrets.

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