Roundup: China's anti-terrorism law a brave, practical step in addressing terrorism

The enactment of an anti-terrorism law by China represents a latest effort in a country that has fallen victim to violent terror attacks, especially at a time when the international community is facing an unprecedented wave of terror threats.

China's top legislature on Sunday adopted the country's first counter-terrorism law, aimed at creating a legal framework for China to address terrorism at home and help maintain world security.

China first launched the initiative to draft the law in 2011, and has sped up the pace since a series of deadly terror attacks hit China in recent years.

BRAVE, PRACTICAL STEP

Khaled Matrud, a Syrian scholar and editor-in-chief of Al-Muwsela magazine, told Xinhua on Monday that the new counter-terrorism law is a brave and practical step for China's anti-terrorism efforts, which is in line with its crackdown on all forms of terrorist activities and demonstrates its determination to fight terrorism at home and abroad.

Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow with the Malaysia Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, also agreed that the enactment of the law meets China's practical needs, as terrorist activities gained growing momentum in China over the recent years.

Matrud said the terrorist activities inside China have been supported by foreign forces, a situation which needs to be addressed while fighting domestic terrorism.

Some countries and organizations have lent support to terrorist groups under the cover of religion and humanitarianism, he said, adding that China has been promoting international community to adopt counter-terrorism resolutions.

Alexey Maslov, head of the School of Asian Studies at the Russian National Research University- Higher School of Economics, said Monday that after reading the counter-terrorism law he found no content infringing upon human rights.

"The law was established generally according to the principle of the international law," he said.

Actually, China has been faced with terrorist threats for a long time, and with China's increasingly active participation in international affairs as well as the breakout of terror attacks in some areas, China has to introduce the law to pilot movements in such field, the Russian expert said.

NATURAL RESULT OF CURRENT SITUATION

The enactment of counter-terrorism law conforms to the international trend and is a part of China's international responsibility, Oh Ei Sun said. Other countries have also endorsed similar laws featuring stricter articles, he explained.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Belarussian Foreign Ministry, the Eastern European country welcomed China's move to adopt the counter-terrorism law, saying terrorism has become common in many parts of the world, and it is challenging the foundations and values of the international community and has become a major threat to peace and stability.

Fred Nyabera, a Kenyan peace and security expert, said Monday the introduction of the law is a prompt and effective measure to global terrorism, which, along with religious extremist forces, is a common challenge facing human being and threatens the world peace.

His country applauded China's determination to fight terrorism, which is embodied in the enactment of the new counter-terrorism law, the expert said.

China has mature experience in fighting terrorism, and is able to offer intelligence, equipment and personnel support to Kenya and other African countries, Nyabera said.

Ali Ahmd, advisor of Syrian Ministry of Information, said Monday the enactment of anti-terrorism law is a self-defence for the country as terrorist groups carried out activities aimed to destroy achievements yielded in China's development. Endi