China adopts first counter-terrorism law

China's top legislature on Sunday adopted the country's first counter-terrorism law in its latest attempt to address terrorism at home and help maintain world security.

Lawmakers approved the legislation at the end of a week-long bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee. All 159 legislators voted for the bill, Xinhua reported.

The new law comes at a delicate time for China and for the world at large -- terror attacks in Paris, the bombing of a Russian passenger jet over Egypt, and the brutal killings of hostages committed by the notorious Islamic State (IS) extremist group are alerting the world about an ever-growing threat of terrorism.

Before Sunday's new bill, China did not have a specialised counter-terrorism law, though related provisions feature in various NPC Standing Committee decisions, as well as the Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law and Emergency Response Law.