BEIJING
China criticized the United Nations for expressing concern over the country’s new security law, calling the recent comments "groundless accusations" Thursday.
The UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, had warned Tuesday of the human rights implications of the law adopted last week, saying it "raises many concerns due to its extraordinarily broad scope."
"As a result, it leaves the door wide open to further restrictions of the rights and freedoms of Chinese citizens and to even tighter control of civil society by the Chinese authorities than there is already," he said in a statement.
In response, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters Thursday that China was "dissatisfied with and opposed to the so-called statement of the UN High Commissioner," saying it was "an interference in China’s domestic affairs."
"The newly adopted national security law is a fundamental law in China’s national security field," she stressed. “It is underpinned by a comprehensive concept of national security, and covers all areas of it.”
Hua assured that Article 1 and Article 7 of the law underlined “respecting and safeguarding human rights, and protecting the rights and freedoms of the citizens in accordance with the law."
The measures covering many areas including defense, finance, science and technology, and culture and religion were approved by the majority of lawmakers in the National People's Congress on July 1.
Under the law, Chinese citizens are obliged to report anything that undermines national security, and to protect national secrets in line with the constitution and laws.
It aims at making Internet and information technology, information systems and data "secure and controllable," according to state news agency Xinhua.
