China Passes Landmark Law to Battle Terrorism at Home and Overseas

South China Morning Post

27 December 2015

Beijing will expand its counterterrorism apparatus and tech companies will have to hand over encryption keys on demand to security agencies following the adoption of the country’s first anti-terror law on Sunday.

The law, which goes into effect on January 1, also allows the People’s Liberation Army to take part in counterterrorism operations overseas, providing the missions are approved by the Central Military Commission and the countries involved.

A state-level leading group on counterterrorism will be established and governments of and above the city level will also need to set up affiliated agencies.

The law was passed unanimously by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

… Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said China faced a significant threat from terrorism. “The law is created in anticipation of the emerging threat and to manage the current threat,” he said.

He said China should join military actions against IS, improve domestic capacity to combat terror and build close ties with the Muslim community at home.

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