China Mulls Amendment to State Secret Laws

Psssst....I've got a secret to tell you.

The standing committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) on Wednesday deliberated a draft amendment to the state secrets law. The draft specifies a definition for state secrets: information that concerns state security and interests that if leaked would damage state security and interests in the areas of politics, economy and national defense. An NPC Law committee member qualified secrets: state, work and commercial. The existing law which took effect in 1989, stated that information concerning major state policies and decisions, armed forces and diplomatic events, national economic and social development, science and technology, and acts safeguarding national security and criminal investigation, among other items, were state secrets. According to the NPC this draft raises citizens awareness of the importance of guarding state secrets and that original range of what a secret was was too broad. This draft makes it clear that these secrets must be protected and should be protected and "any act threatening the security of a state secret must be punished by law." The time limit for keeping secrets should be no more than 30 years old. Entities and companies entrusted should be subject to security scrutiny. Lawmakers will review the law and deliberations will begin soon.

http://www.china.org.cn/china/2010-02/24/content_19467397.htm