(Selected from the translated work titled The Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, authored by Robert Zhang and Steve Li, criminal defense lawyers registered in Shanghai, China.)
Article 13 [Concept of Crime] An act is a crime if it endangers the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or security of the State, is intended to split the country, subvert the State power featured by the people's democratic dictatorship, overthrow the socialist system, disrupt public and economic order, infringe upon State-owned, collectively-owned, or privately-owned property, or the personal, democratic, or other rights of individuals, or otherwise endangers society, and shall be subject to criminal penalties according to law; provided, however, that if it is an apparently minor offense without severe damage, it shall not constitute a crime.
