China's policymakers have been busy upgrading the country's cybersecurity regime. Over the last couple of years, the Cybersecurity Law (2016) has evolved and been joined by a whole host of accompanying legislation, including the Personal Information Protection Law and the Data Security Law of last year. In short: Beijing has made clear that data must be regulated and that it falls on companies to ensure that they are toeing the line. Many of the country's tech giants have already fallen foul of such legislation, but China's new cybersecurity regulatory regime is about so much more than meting out punishment; it's actually smart regulation, says Rogier Creemers, Assistant Professor in Modern Chinese Studies at Leiden University.

Rogier talks to Joe Cash about what prompted a shift in the Chinese government's attitude towards data security, what Beijing plans to do with its new powers going forward, and why the introduction of the PIPL and DSL could be good for China's economy.

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This episode is part one of two, and listeners wanting an introduction to the PIPL and the DSL are encouraged to first listen to this earlier episode of the China Business Brief featuring Torsten Weller, click here to listen.