China strengthens land border protection with new law

BEIJING, Oct 24 (Reuters) - China passed a law on Saturday to strengthen border protection amid a protracted standoff with India, worries about spillover effects from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and the spread of COVID-19 from Southeast Asia.

The Land Borders Law will not necessarily change how border security is handled when the measure takes effect on Jan.

This is the first time that the People's Republic of China, founded 72 years ago, has a dedicated law specifying how it governs and guards its 22,000-km (14,000-mile) land border shared with 14 countries, including former superpower Russia and nuclear-capable North Korea.

The country will "take effective measures to resolutely protect territorial sovereignty and land border security", the law says.

The law stipulates that China can close its border if a war or other armed conflict nearby threatens border security.