Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying reacts at a regular press conference on March 3. [Photo/fmprc.gov.cn]

China defends new cybersecurity rules

Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said new technology rules aim to "safeguard China's own information security", and that this act is "beyond any reproach", at her regular press conference on Tuesday.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama criticized the rules, which require technology firms to hand over passcodes to keep servers and user data within China, and give Chinese authorities surveillance access to their systems. The rules are part of China's first anti-terrorism law and are expected to be adopted in legislation in the coming weeks or months.