V. Subparagraph (3) of Article 225 of the Criminal Law is amended as:

“illegally operating the business of securities, futures or insurance, or illegally engaging in fund payment and settlement business, without the approval of the relevant competent departments of the state;”

VI. Article 239 of the Criminal Law is amended as:

“Whoever abducts another person for extortion or abducts another person as a hostage shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not less than ten years or life imprisonment, and be fined or be sentenced to confiscation of property; or if the circumstances are less serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not less than five years but not more than ten years, and be fined.

Whoever commits the crime as described in the preceding paragraph and causes the death of the abducted person or kills the abducted person shall be sentenced to death and confiscation of property.

Whoever steals an infant for extortion shall be punished under the preceding two paragraphs.”

VII. An Article is inserted after Article 253 of the Criminal Law as Article 253 (A):

“Where any staff member of a state organ or an entity in such a field as finance, telecommunications, transportation, education or medical treatment, in violation of the state provisions, sells or illegally provides personal information on citizens, which is obtained during the organ’s or entity’s performance of duties or provision of services, to others shall, if the circumstances are serious, be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not more than three years or criminal detention, and/or be fined.

Whoever illegally obtains the aforesaid information by stealing or any other means shall, if the circumstances are serious, be punished under the preceding paragraph.

Where any entity commits either of the crimes as described in the preceding two paragraphs, it shall be fined, and the direct liable person in charge and other directly liable persons shall be punished under the applicable paragraph.”

VIII. An Article is inserted after Article 262 (A) of the Criminal Law as Article 262 (B):

“Whoever organizes minors to commit theft, fraud, snatch, extortion or any other activity in violation of the public security administration shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not more than three years or criminal detention, and be fined; or if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not less than three years but not more than seven years, and be fined.”

IX. Two paragraphs are inserted into Article 285 of the Criminal Law as paragraphs 2 and 3:

“Whoever, in violation of the state provisions, intrudes into a computer information system other than that prescribed in the preceding paragraph or uses other technical means to obtain the data stored, processed or transmitted in the said computer information system or exercise illegal control over the said computer information system shall, if the circumstances are serious, be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not more than three years or criminal detention, and/or be fined; or if the circumstances are extremely serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not less than three years but not more than seven years, and be fined.

Whoever provides special programs or tools specially used for intruding into or illegally controlling computer information systems, or whoever knows that any other person is committing the criminal act of intruding into or illegally controlling a computer information system and still provides programs or tools for such a person shall, if the circumstances are serious, be punished under the preceding paragraph.”

X. A paragraph is inserted into Article 312 of the Criminal Law as paragraph 2:

“Where any entity commits the crime as described in the preceding paragraph, it shall be fined, and the direct liable person in charge and other directly liable persons shall be punished under the preceding paragraph.”

XI. Paragraph 1 of Article 337 of the Criminal Law is amended as:

“Whoever, in violation of the relevant state provisions on animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine, causes a serious animal or plant epidemic or the risk of a serious animal or plant epidemic shall, if the circumstances are serious, be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not more than three years or criminal detention, and/or be fined.”

XII. Paragraph 2 of Article 375 of the Criminal Law is amended as:

“Whoever illegally produces, buys, or sells uniforms of the armed forces shall, if the circumstances are serious, be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance, and/or be fined.”

A paragraph is added as paragraph 3:

“Whoever forges, steals, buys, sells, or illegally provides or uses license plates of vehicles or other special signs of the armed forces shall, if the circumstances are serious, be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance, and/or be fined; or if the circumstances are extremely serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not less than three years but not more than seven years, and be fined.”

The former paragraph 3 is changed into paragraph 4 and is amended as:

“Where any entity commits the crime in paragraph 2 or 3, it shall be fined, and the direct liable person in charge and other directly liable persons shall be punished under the applicable paragraph.”

XIII. An Article is inserted after Article 388 of the Criminal Law as Article 388 (A):

“Where any close relative of a state functionary or any other person who has a close relationship with the said state functionary seeks any improper benefit for a requester for such a benefit through the official act of the said state functionary or through the official act of any other state functionary by using the advantages generated from the authority or position of the said state functionary, and asks or accepts property from the requester for such a benefit, and the amount is relatively large or there is any other relatively serious circumstance, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not more than three years or criminal detention, and be fined; if the amount is huge or there is any other serious circumstance, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not less than three years but not more than seven years, and be fined; or if the amount is extremely huge or there is any other extremely serious circumstance, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not less than seven years, and be fined or be sentenced to confiscation of property.

Where any state functionary who has left his position, any close relative of him or any other person who has a close relationship with him commits the act as prescribed in the preceding paragraph by using the advantages generated from the former authority or position of the said state functionary, he shall be convicted and punished under the preceding paragraph.”

XIV. Paragraph 1 of Article 395 of the Criminal Law is amended as:

“Where the property or expenditure of any state functionary obviously exceeds his legitimate income, and the difference is huge, he shall be ordered to explain the sources. If he fails to do so, the difference shall be determined as illegal income, and he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not more than five years or criminal detention; or if the difference is extremely huge, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment not less than five years but not more than ten years. The difference of the property shall be recovered.”

XV. This Amendment shall come into force on the date of promulgation.

The English translation is for reference only and if there is any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.