Mainland rights advocates are alarmed by the passage yesterday of new national rules that expand police powers of detention and define what constitutes terrorism.
The National People's Congress Standing Committee endorsed amendments to the Resident Identity Card Law that effectively allow police to detain citizens in busy public areas if they are not carrying their ID cards.
It also approved a counter-terrorism resolution that defines 'causing harm to public safety' as one purpose of an act of terror.
Rights advocates fear the terror definition could be open to abuse.
They claim the existing criminal charge of 'causing harm to public security' is used to target 'social undesirables' such as petitioners.
Li Shouwei, of the Standing Committee's Legal Affairs Commission, said there was no set international definition of what constituted an act of terror, but China's definition was consistent with international conventions and practice.