China’s Sweeping New Security Laws Give Authorities ‘Blank Check,’ Taiwan Warns

China is preparing to roll out several new national security laws that Taiwanese officials warn could give authorities broad powers over travel, online activity, private property, and business operations. The vaguely worded measures are part of Beijing’s expanding national security framework, which increasingly extends into areas once considered outside the traditional security sphere, experts warn.

Several measures have either recently taken effect or are scheduled to do so in the coming weeks. They include regulations governing ethnic unity, exit and entry management, cybersecurity inspections, and a sweeping revision of China’s controversial National Defense Mobilization Law, which expands Beijing’s authority to mobilize civilian resources, private property, technology, and supply chains during what it deems a “national emergency.”

Taiwanese officials say the changes reflect Beijing’s continued expansion of the concept of “national security” beyond traditional military and political concerns and into industry, information, commerce, finance, and the movement of people and goods.

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A ‘blank check’ for enforcement

Cross-strait officials warned that terms such as “national security” and “national interests” are defined so broadly that authorities have considerable latitude in determining what constitutes a violation. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council has characterized such provisions as a form of “blank check” authorization that allows enforcement agencies to interpret the rules at their discretion, creating greater uncertainty for Taiwanese citizens traveling to China.

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Some provisions also establish a legal basis for targeting individuals and organizations outside China. Article 63 of the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law and Article 29 of proposed regulations governing internet information services, for example, address overseas individuals or organizations whose activities are deemed to harm China’s national interests or security.

Officials also pointed to the decentralization of enforcement authority. New exit and entry regulations, slated for Sept. 15, will expand enforcement powers at the local level, while cybersecurity inspection rules set to take effect Oct. 1 allow county-level public security authorities to inspect electronic devices including mobile phones and laptops.

“The law is just packaging,” cross-strait officials said, arguing that detentions and searches have occurred previously but that codifying such powers directly authorizes local authorities to carry them out. They warned that the laws could also have a broader deterrent effect by signaling that certain speech or behavior may result in investigation, detention, or harassment, encouraging self-censorship and creating a chilling effect.

Defense mobilization law expands state reach

Particular concern surrounds China’s revised National Defense Mobilization Law, which is scheduled to take effect Oct. 1. The legislation expands the definition of national defense mobilization to encompass the rapid transition between peacetime and wartime and incorporates economic, technological, and other civilian resources into the mobilization system. Experts warn this could allow Beijing to enact martial law or other extreme measures to crush any potential dissent.

Taiwanese national security officials identified five significant changes. The law adds the protection of China’s “development interests” to its stated objectives and explicitly requires national defense mobilization to adhere to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership and leader Xi Jinping’s military doctrine. It also defines mobilization as a mechanism for rapidly converting economic and societal capacity into national defense capabilities.

Critically, the revised law broadens the government’s authority over civilian resources from “requisition” to both “expropriation and requisition,” analysts note. Taiwanese officials said the distinction could allow the state to take ownership of private assets when authorities determine it is necessary.

Data and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and supply chains, are also brought within the mobilization framework. The legislation calls for “supply chain security assessments” intended to address the risk of disruptions during a crisis.

Greater risks for Taiwanese businesses

Taiwanese national security officials also warn that the changes could increase both political and financial risks for Taiwanese companies operating within China. Businesses and their assets could potentially be designated as resources necessary for national development or defense mobilization, exposing investments to state requisition or expropriation, they said.

The revised framework also incorporates private companies into national defense research, production, maintenance, and logistical systems, further institutionalizing Beijing’s longstanding military-civil fusion strategy. National security officials said the legislation reflects an effort to bring technology, industry, infrastructure, data, and other resources more firmly under centralized state control.