In a letter addressed to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, 46 global business groups spanning finance, information technology, insurance and manufacturing urged Beijing to revise its draft cyber rules, which they said would hamper trade. The signatories include industry associations from Asia, Australia, the United States, Mexico and Europe…They say the draft regulations, as well as cyber rules from China’s insurance regulator, include provisions for invasive government security reviews and onerous requirements to keep data in China…

China’s Foreign Ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the letter on Thursday. Chinese officials have said the cyber security rules, along with internet restrictions including the blocking of popular foreign sites like Google and Facebook, were needed to ensure security against growing threats such as terrorism.

The first draft of the cybersecurity law, published more than a year ago, toughened user privacy protection from hackers and data resellers, but also boosted the government’s powers to access and block dissemination of private information records that Chinese law deems illegal. It is not clear when the law may be adopted, but it could undergo a final reading by the standing committee of the National People’s Congress, or parliament, later this year…