Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the opening ceremony of the fifth annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on July 28, 2020, via video link in Beijing, the capital of China.
Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
GUANGZHOU, China – China on Tuesday launched a global data security initiative that outlines principles followed in areas ranging from personal information to espionage.
The initiative, announced by Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, continues to put pressure on the US, China’s largest technology companies, and persuade countries around the world to block them.
There are eight key issues in China’s initiative, including not using technology to undermine other countries’ critical infrastructure or stealing data, and not allowing service providers to install backdoor in their products and illegally obtain user data.
Wang also said the initiative considers ending activities that “infringe on personal information” and opposes the use of technology to conduct mass surveillance against other states.
The initiative added that companies should also respect the laws of host countries and stop forcing local companies to store foreign-generated data in their own territory.
Many of these issues are based on Washington’s allegations.
The U.S. has accused Chinese technology companies of posing national security risks by collecting user data and sending it back to Beijing. Companies including Huawei and Bytens have denied the allegations.
“We have not and will not ask Chinese companies to transfer data abroad to the government in violation of other countries’ laws,” Wang said.
Anyone signing the pledge must respect the sovereignty, jurisdiction and governance of other states’ data and avoid asking companies or individuals based in other countries to provide data without permission.
China has its own rules around censorship and data. The system, known as the Great Firewall, effectively blocks services such as Google and Facebook, while Chinese censors regularly tell the country’s Internet companies to take down content. Meanwhile, countries such as Australia have expressed concern about two pieces of Chinese law that force companies to hand over data to Beijing if asked.
No country has signed up to China’s initiative and it is not clear how it will be implemented and polished. But the world’s second-largest economy is seeking to increase its role in setting global standards in areas ranging from data to telecommunications.
… A certain country keeps making baseless allegations against others in the name of ‘clean’ network and uses security as an excuse to hunt down the ventures of other countries with competitive edge.
Wang Yi
Foreign Minister of China
When Wang announced the initiative, the U.S.
He said that due to unilateral acts, a certain country makes baseless allegations against others in the name of ‘clean’ network and uses security to prey on the enterprises of other countries with competitive edge. “Such innocent acts of bullying should be opposed and rejected.”
Last month, the U.S. unveiled its “Clean Network” initiative, which aims to “protect the privacy of citizens and the country’s assets, including the sensitive information of companies, from being invaded by rare actors such as the Communist Party of China.”
The U.S. State Department says more than 30 countries have joined, but did not name them. Some companies are also in its program.
Meanwhile, Washington is increasing pressure on Chinese technology companies. In August Gust, the U.S. amended a rule that effectively cut off Huawei from key semiconductor supplies. And that same month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning dealings with ticket ok owner BiteDance and WeChat owner Tencent.
Other countries have also blocked Chinese technology companies.
Huawei Australia will not play a role in the next pay generation 5G network in Australia and the UK, recently, India banned 118 Chinese applications in the Ladakh region over growing tensions over the Himalayan mountain border dispute.
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