China mulls laws on death penalty, counterespionage, anti-terroris

China’s top legislature started its bimonthly meeting on Monday, with lawmakers considering draft laws and amendments regarding death penalty, counterespionage and anti-terrorism.

The removal of death penalty as punishment for nine crimes, including smuggling weapons and nuclear materials was among the heatedly discussed topics, Xinhua reports.

A draft amendment to Criminal Law was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) for a first reading during the session, which runs from Monday to Saturday.

According to the draft amendment, the nine crimes include smuggling weapons, ammunition, nuclear materials or counterfeit currency; counterfeiting currency; raising funds by means of fraud; arranging for or forcing another person to engage in prostitution; obstructing a commander or a person on duty from performing his duties; and fabricating rumors to mislead others during wartim