China Orders Companies To Step Up Monitoring of Foreigners In Anti-Spying Campaign

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Chinese social groups, enterprises and public entities will have increased responsibility to combat foreign espionage under new regulations issued by the country's ministry of state security. The regulations, which were released and took effect on Monday, come amid deepening hostilities between China and some western governments, including over the detention of foreigners accused of national security crimes. According to state media, state security will work with other government departments to 'adjust' the list of groups susceptible to foreign espionage and to develop measures to safeguard against it, including Chinese Communist Party and state organs, social groups, enterprises and public institutions.

Once organizations are designated as having anti-espionage responsibility, state security will provide 'guidance, supervision and inspection' of their efforts, including personnel vetting, and strict training, monitoring and debriefing for staff trips overseas. Identified organizations must report suspicions and incidents to authorities. It come amid increasing public campaigns to watch out for foreign spies, which state media has warned could be an 'intimate lover' or 'an online friend with the same interests.' According to Li Wei, an expert on national security and anti-terrorism at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, the new regulation 'places emphasis on companies and institutions taking precautionary measures against foreign espionage.' Li said key fields would include companies or institutions working in national defense, diplomacy, economy, finance and tech.

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