EU says lack of clarity in China's data laws is concerning

hl.co.uk:

We don’t support this browser anymore.
This means our website may not look and work as you would expect. Read more about browsers and how to update them here.

Newsroom

Newsroom articles are published by leading news agencies. Hargreaves Lansdown is not responsible for an article's content and its accuracy. We may not share the views of the author.

HL Podcast

HL Insight

European Union businesses are concerned about China's data laws.

Article originally published by Reuters. Hargreaves Lansdown is not responsible for its content or accuracy and may not share the author's views. News and research are not personal recommendations to deal. All investments can fall in value so you could get back less than you invest.

Published by

19 Sep 2023

European Union businesses are concerned about China's data laws, including their «lack of clarity» and the «long processes» that companies have to undergo, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said on Tuesday.

In July, China expanded its counter-espionage law. It now bans the transfer of any information related to national security and interests, without defining those terms, while widening the definition of spying to include cyberattacks against state organs or critical infrastructure.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's increasing focus on national security — particularly a crackdown on consultancies and due diligence firms — has left many foreign firms unsure of where they might step over the line of the law.

Jourova said the lack of definitions such as, for example, what constitutes important data, and the lack of clarity on how the law might be contravened was problematic as was the lengthy time it takes to complete procedural matters.

«I think it's 45 days for one