China adopted its first counterterrorism law Sunday after early drafts of the bill attracted strong criticism for provisions that may tighten media controls and threaten the intellectual property of foreign firms.
The legislation comes as Beijing wages a hard-hitting campaign to stamp out ethnic violence in its Xinjiang region and tries to tighten control over political dissent online and on the ground.
It is the “latest attempt to address terrorism at home and help maintain world security”, said the official Xinhua news agency.
Details of the bill, which was approved by the standing committee of the rubber-stamp legislature the National People’s Congress, were not immediately available.