U.S., Human Rights Groups Denouce China's Terrorism Law

A new counterterrorism law proposal in China is drawing criticism from the U.S. government, human rights groups and western tech companies, who argue that the law uses terrorism as an excuse to impose tougher security measures on foreign businesses.

The planned law, according to President Barack Obama, would include security measures that allow the Chinese government surveillance access to technology companies, a requirement that the Commander-in-Chief argues several tech companies will not be willing to follow.

"This is something that I've raised directly with President Xi," Obama told Reuters in an interview last week. "We have made it very clear to them that this is something they are going to have to change if they are to do business with the United States."

The president added that the law "would essentially force all foreign companies, including U.S. companies, to turn over to the Chinese government mechanisms where they can snoop and keep track of all the users of those services," Obama said.

"As you might imagine tech companies are not going to be willing to do that," he said.

The Chinese government has argued that the law is meant to curb terrorism being carried out largely on the internet by Islamic extremist groups in the country's western region.

Human Rights Watch has also denounced the proposed law, arguing that it does not abide by international law regarding the protection of human rights.

"China has seen appalling attacks on people, and the government has a duty to respond and protect the population," said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. "But in its present form this law is little more than a license to commit human rights abuses. The draft needs to be completely overhauled and brought in line with international legal standards."