In China, foreign business circles are kept under strict surveillance

Public police raids on the Chinese premises of three US groups: consulting giant Bain & Co in March, audit specialist Mintz in April and Capvision, a specialist in advice and connections, in May. The latter is accused of “disclosing sensitive internal information, state secrets and intelligence”. [du renseignement],

Beijing’s recent crackdown has caused a strong wind of concern within the foreign affairs community in China. “We feel since the 20th Congress [du Parti communiste chinois, qui a vu en octobre Xi Jinping raffermir son emprise] That power wants to send a clear message to the United States, so that it can better control its narrative, and this requires an even stronger politicization, especially of the economy”, said a French expatriate.

climate of condemnation

In this context, Beijing revised and reinforced a law against espionage on 26 April 2014. The text, which will come into force on July 1, extends the scope of the law to any activity related to “security and national interests”. , and encourages a climate of deterrence: citizens and organizations must report suspicious activity; Logistics and telecommunications companies technically assist in the fight against espionage; and the media to educate their public about it.

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“The problem with these laws is not in their wording, but in their application. Their vague nature makes it possible to arrest anyone under any pretext”, noted researcher Valerie Nicet. To this was added a life sentence by China on May 15 of a 78-year-old US permanent resident of Hong Kong accused of “espionage”.