China publishes draft personal information protection law

Almost 4 years after the release of the mainland China’s Cybersecurity Law, on 21 October 2020, the National People's Congress published for public comment the draft of the country’s first comprehensive personal information protection law. This draft law has been highly anticipated and will work alongside the Cybersecurity Law and the draft Data Security Law released in July as one of the key pillars of President Xi Jinping’s framework for security in mainland China’s cyberspace.

This alert seeks to highlight some of the key aspects of the draft law relevant to businesses operating in mainland China, including cross-border data transfers, personal information processing requirements, enhanced compliance protocols and regulatory enforcement.