China’s Border law: The Why, What & What Next

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) passed a new law on October 23 for strengthening China’s border security management. The Land Border Law of PRC aims to improve coordination between the national, regional and local level authorities to maintain China’s national security and territorial integrity. It standardises how China patrols its massive 22,100 km land boundaries and borders with 14 countries. The law was first proposed in March 2021, approved at the closing meeting of the legislative session this Saturday and will go into effect by January 1, 2022.What is the law?With 62 clauses in seven chapters, the law underlines that “The PRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are sacred and inviolable and the state shall take measures to safeguard them.” It creates a legal framework for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the People’s Armed Police (PAP) and the border defence units to counter any invasion, encroachment, infiltration or provocation across its land borders.The article was originally published in the Times of India