Law of ChinaModule 8
Criminal law, security and legal risk: offences, police powers, detention, national security, exit bans and managing risk as a foreigner
Most foreigners who spend time in China never meet its criminal system. Those who do find that it works **differently** from the one at home: **police powers are wide**, **detention can be long** before a court is involved, **language is a barrier** and some **security laws** reach conduct that would be harmless elsewhere. This module explains the system **calmly and in outline**: what counts as an **offence** or an **administrative violation**, how **detention, arrest and trial** progress, what **rights** a foreign suspect has, why **national security and state secrets** rules matter to ordinary business activity, and how **exit bans** work. It ends with **practical risk management**. Penalty tables and enforcement priorities **change**, and any real case needs a **Chinese-qualified criminal lawyer** at once.
This course explains the law of China, not US law. Rules that look the same elsewhere may be different. This covers Mainland China. Hong Kong and Macao have separate legal systems, and Taiwan is outside this collection.
Module 1 of this course is free, and this is not it. Unlock the whole course below, or go back to the course page.
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See what is included in the Courses & AI Lab Pass →General education on the law of Mainland China, using invented people and businesses. It states laws and procedures in simplified form and is not legal advice. The law and its practice change, and every case turns on its facts and on the local authority. It does not offer legal representation or a legal opinion on any case. Consult a Chinese-qualified lawyer for any real matter.
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