People familiar with the matter said that a major factor behind China's recent actions to restrict foreign companies' access to Chinese databases is that a report written by a US think tank has attracted the attention of the authorities.

(Reuters file photo)

[Financial Channel/Comprehensive Report] According to people familiar with the matter, China has recently adopted a series of measures to restrict overseas access to Chinese databases, partly because a series of reports by American think tanks on China's practices in sensitive areas have touched Beijing to take action. Such reports have alarmed the Chinese government.

The Wall Street Journal reported that China's government has expanded the scope of its anti-espionage law in recent weeks and stepped up pressure on foreign companies that specialize in data collection, such as auditors, management consultants and law firms, amid growing concerns about Western threats .

Beijing has also tightened access to Chinese databases by foreign think tanks, research firms and other nonfinancial firms, including Shanghai-based Wind Information.

Wind is one of the important databases in China, and its economic and financial data are widely quoted by analysts at home and abroad.

Please read on...

The analysis, including by the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University and the Center for A New American Security, has alarmed Chinese officials, the people said.

The report pointed out that several of the reports used open sources and mentioned areas that the Chinese government considers sensitive, such as "military-civilian integration", that is, Chinese civilian research and commercial and defense departments promote each other to enhance China's military capabilities.

According to people familiar with the matter, among the US think tank reports that have attracted the attention of the Chinese authorities, one is a policy briefing issued by the Center for Security and Emerging Technologies in June last year, titled "Silicon Twist", focusing on how the Chinese military Obtain advanced process chips designed by American companies and manufactured in Taiwan and South Korea.

According to people who have consulted with relevant Chinese authorities, China’s State Internet Information Office notified a number of Chinese data suppliers in March this year, requesting to restrict overseas access to databases involving enterprise registration information, patents, procurement documents, Academic journals and official statistical yearbooks.

Subsequently, China's largest academic database "CNKI" notified foreign universities and other research institutions that their access to the CNKI database would be restricted, effective from April.

The tightening of data restrictions has rattled analysts and investors at a time of greater uncertainty about the direction of China's economy and policies, as officials have not clearly spelled out what types of data will be prohibited from being used.

The Cyberspace Administration of China did not respond to the report.

Grasp the pulse of the economy with one hand I subscribe to Free Finance Youtube channel

Already added friends, thank you

Welcome to 【Free Finance】

feel good

Already liked it, thank you.

related news