Insights and Analysis

China: ban on foreign suppliers?

31 May 2019

The Cyberspace Administration of China has released draft cybersecurity review measures, which empower the government to review the procurement of network products and services by an operator of "Critical Information Infrastructure". We explain what this means and what organizations should do next

China aims to revise the national security review rule for critical information infrastructure procurement of network products and services.

The Cyberspace Administration of China released draft cybersecurity review measures for public comment on May 24, 2019 (the Draft Measures).

The Draft Measures are seen by a number of observers to be part of the Chinese government's response to US manoeuvring in an intensifying trade war.

The Draft Measures empower the Chinese government to review the procurement of network products and services by an operator of "Critical Information Infrastructure" (CII), as defined under China's Cyber Security Law (the CSL), where the procurement raises a threat to the national security.

Although provocative in the context of the trade war, the fine print of the Draft Measures in some respects at least, represents a narrowing of the current rules in this area.

It is too early to say that the Draft Measures constitute a ban on foreign technology suppliers in China.

Our article reviews: