China's management of information and cybersecurity has undergone substantial restructuring in the last year as regulations like the Personal Information Security Specification and the Cybersecurity Law have come into effect. However, while most regulations until now have focused on requirements for information handling and cybersecurity practices, these may soon be joined by tighter regulations on what technologies may be used and how they should be implemented.

Encryption is a specific area of concern for international firms operating in China. This technology is commonly used to protect and secure information and communications, including intellectual property and trade secrets. The Chinese government, like many governments around the world, wants to regulate encryption to support it policy goals. This effort began with the Office of State Commercial Cryptography Administration's 2017 encryption law, which moved China away from a product-based approach to encryption to a standards-based approach. This will have significant implications for companies' use of technologies and strategies for the associated regulatory compliance.

The American Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the third technology briefing in its Government Policy Support (GPS) series, in which James Fitzsimmons and Carly Ramsey from Control Risks will lead a discussion on China's increasing clampdown of data encryption technologies.

The AmCham Shanghai's Government Policy Support​ (GPS) program helps member companies navigate China's regulatory system by providing expert briefings on emerging policy issues across four focus groups—technology; manufacturing; food, agriculture, and beverage; and healthcare. GPS members gain free access to these briefings as well as to a range of other benefits. For more information regarding the program and how to join, please contact daniel.rechtschaffen@amcham-shanghai.org.

(Header photo c/o ccPixs.com​)