Photo: Xinhua

China has released a regulation on cyber security inspection to ensure supply chain security of critical information infrastructure and safeguard national security, which indicates that China is trying to tackle national level cyber attacks through legal methods and ensure its operation of information infrastructure is not affected by political and diplomatic factors from foreign suppliers, Chinese analysts said. 

The regulation, to take effect from June 1, stipulates that in order to ensure national security, operators buying internet products and services must evaluate whether the procurement will result in risks to the proper operation and stable supply of key information infrastructure. Operators must report to an inspection office under the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) for review, and the process will usually take no more than 45 days.

The regulation was co-released by 12 government departments including the CAC, public security, national security, finance and commerce ministries as well as the National Radio and Television Administration. 

The inspection will focus on whether the procurement of internet products and services will lead to key information infrastructure being hijacked, disrupted or damaged, or information leaks. 

It will also consider whether a suspension of supply would pose a threat to continuation of key information infrastructure services. The products and services should be safe, transparent and reliable, and risks of supply disruption due to political, diplomatic and trade factors should be considered, according to the regulation. 

Qin An, head of the Beijing-based Institute of China Cyberspace Strategy, told the Global Times that the regulation was released at a time when China is facing increasing cyber attacks in a more chaotic international network environment with higher risks. It is necessary to evaluate the potential threat to national security before purchasing internet products and services, he said. 

Qin cited the buying of US chips as an example. China could buy products and services from the US out of a principle of being open and non-discriminatory, but the purchase must take into consideration that the supply could be heavily impacted by diplomatic and trade clashes, Qin said on Monday. 

In an explanatory piece of the regulation published on the CAC website, operators in telecommunications, radio and television, energy, finance, transportation (highway, waterway, railway and aviation), post, emergency response, health, social security and national defense industries should report for inspection before signing procurement contracts.

The regulation aims to safeguard national security, not to discriminate against or restrict foreign suppliers, and will not affect accessibility for foreign products and services, according to the article.