Taiwan warns citizens not to travel to China due to state secrets law

The minister of the Taiwanese Continental Affairs Council, Chiu Tai-san, the body responsible for relations with China, urged Taiwanese society to be “aware of the risks” when visiting China, adding that a list of precautions to be taken will be published.

In a statement, the government department said the new law “significantly expands” the definition of state secrets and matters subject to confidentiality in China, although the content of the regulation is “vague and very uncertain.”

“The lack of transparency in the rule of law of the Communist Party of China [PCC] The risk of possible violations of the law has considerably increased, raising doubts and concerns in all areas (…). The provisions may lead to violations of the law at any time,” noted the Council for Continental Affairs.

Under the legislation, conducting interviews, academic research or collecting commercial and investment information in China could be harmful to the Asian giant’s “national interests”, the organization said.

“The Continental Affairs Council once again reminds the people that they should not travel to mainland China unless necessary”, adds the official text.

The law, which has not been updated since 2010, expands the scope of what is considered a “state secret” and includes, for the first time, “internet information platforms” as distribution channels subject to confidentiality requirements.

The legislation also tightens restrictions placed on public officials who handle classified information.

According to the PCC’s official newspaper, the Global Times, the party seeks to “strengthen leadership in the face of new challenges”, with a view to “safeguarding national security and interests” and combating “new forms of espionage”, such as `phishing`, cyber leaks and illegal cross-border data transmission.

The new measures have raised concerns in some sectors regarding the possible ambiguity of the definition of “state secrets”, raising fears that it could be used to restrict freedom of expression and access to information.

In recent years, Taiwan has also strengthened legislation to combat Chinese interference in the island’s internal affairs, notably the January 2020 launch of an anti-infiltration law that punishes political activities supported by “hostile foreign forces.”