China changes law so it can act if country is insulted at sporting events
- National People’s Congress Standing Committee passes revision to the Law on Physical Culture and Sports
- There are no details on what constitutes an infringement of rights or dignity in revised law, which will take effect on January 1, 2023
Chinese lawmakers have approved a change to the law that would allow it to fight back at any perceived insult at international sporting events, underscoring the lengths President Xi Jinping’s government will go to protect China’s reputation abroad.
There were no details on what constitutes an infringement of rights or dignity. The revised law will take effect on January 1, 2023.
Hong Kong football fans have also repeatedly booed the anthem at games in the past, both at home and abroad, although doing so now in the city would be against the law passed last year.
China has a history of responding to the slightest criticism, whether about close ties with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine or the government’s activities in the far western region of Xinjiang, where it’s been accused of human rights abuses.
Last month, when World Health Organization chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said China’s zero-tolerance Covid strategy was not “sustainable,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman immediately hit back, saying “the relevant individual” should “try to get a better understanding of the facts and refrain from making irresponsible remarks”.