中国网络安全规则将阻碍增长

A coalition of some of the world’s biggest business groups has called on China to revise a new cyber security law and insurance regulations, warning they represent a protectionist threat to growth that would further isolate China from the global digital economy.

由全球一些最大商业团体组成的联盟呼吁中国修订新的网络安全法律和保险业法规，警告这些法律法规是对经济增长构成的保护主义威胁，将进一步使中国孤立于全球数字经济以外。

The move comes amid growing concerns in Washington and other western capitals about China-backed cyber attacks on foreign businesses and what they see as the increasing barriers being erected by Beijing to one of the world’s largest digital markets.

此举适逢华盛顿和其他西方国家首都越来越担忧中国支持的针对境外企业的网络攻击，以及在他们看来北京方面为全球最大数字市场之一竖起的越来越多准入障碍。

It marks the biggest intervention with the Chinese leadership by international business since 2010, when concerns were focused on China’s control of the market for “rare earths” crucial to the production of mobile phones.

这标志着国际商界自2010年以来向中国领导层发起的最大交涉；那时的担忧聚焦于中国控制“稀土”市场，稀土是智能手机等高技术产品的关键原料。

The intervention by the top business groups from the US, Japan and Europe, and more than 40 others, came in the form of a letter sent this week to Li Keqiang, China’s premier. It was signed by the US Chamber of Commerce, BusinessEurope and Japan’s Keidanren, as well as industry groups representing the financial services, technology and manufacturing industries and business lobbies in countries such as Australia, Mexico and Switzerland.

由美国、日本和欧洲的顶尖商业团体，以及40余个行业组织发起的交涉，以本周发给中国总理李克强的一封信为形式。签署该信的有美国商会(US Chamber of Commerce)、商业欧洲(BusinessEurope)、日本经济团体联合会(Keidanren)，以及代表澳大利亚、墨西哥和瑞士等国金融服务、科技和制造业的行业组织和商业游说团体。

Their concerns focus on provisions that would force foreign companies to store data in China, assist law enforcement investigations and subject information technology products to security reviews. “[These provisions] have no additional security benefits but would impede economic growth and create barriers to entry for both foreign and Chinese companies,” the letter stated.

他们的担忧集中于中国新法规的某些内容，包括迫使境外公司将数据存储在中国境内、协助执法调查以及允许信息技术产品接受安全审查。“（这些规定）没有额外的安全效益，却会阻碍经济增长，对外资和中资企业都制造准入障碍，”信中写道。

There is growing frustration among foreign companies and chambers of commerce at what they see as an increasingly hostile environment in China. This includes a series of anti-monopoly investigations that have targeted multinationals, and persistent market entry barriers. Market reforms outlined by the ruling Chinese Communist party in 2013 have also not materialised.

目前外国企业和商会对他们眼里中国日益恶劣的营商环境越来越不满，包括一系列针对跨国公司的反垄断调查，以及顽固的市场准入障碍。执政的中国共产党在2013年承诺的市场化改革也没有兑现。

That has fed rising trade tensions and led to questions about Chinese investment in countries including the US and UK. Britain’s new government has launched a review of Chinese investment in a proposed nuclear power plant, while Australia yesterday blocked a group of Chinese companies from buying up part of its power grid for national security reasons.

这种局面助燃了不断升温的贸易紧张，并导致中国在多个国家（包括美国和英国）的投资项目引发质疑。英国新政府已决定重审一个有中资参与的拟议核电站项目，而澳大利亚昨日基于国家安全理由，阻止一批中国企业收购澳大利亚电网的一部分。

The controversial draft cyber security law and insurance sector purchasing requirements, drawn up by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, come less than a year after foreign business groups and governments lobbied against similar provisions in an Anti-Terrorism Law and draft rules governing banks’ IT purchases.

有争议的网络安全法草案和由中国保险监督管理委员会(CIRC)制定的保险业采购要求出炉不到一年前，外国商业团体和政府曾游说反对中国《反恐法》以及银行IT采购规则草案中的类似规定。

The bank regulations were postponed last year while the Anti-Terrorism Law was passed by China’s legislature in December. The law requires IT providers to assist authorities in antiterrorism investigations but stopped short of forcing them to provide encryption keys and other “back doors” into their systems.

银行采购规则去年被推迟，而《反恐法》由中国人大在去年12月通过。该法要求IT提供商协助当局进行反恐调查，但没有迫使厂商交出加密密钥和进入其系统的其他“后门”。

Jared Ragland, senior Asia policy director for The Software Alliance, a signatory of the new letter, said China was not alone in erecting trade barriers in the name of cyber security or privacy. But he said “China is fairly unique in creating its own internal [digital] ecosystem”.

致李克强信函的签署者之一“软件联盟”(The Software Alliance)的资深亚洲政策总监贾里德•拉格兰德(Jared Ragland)表示，中国并不是唯一以网络安全或隐私为名义设置贸易壁垒的国家。但他表示，“中国在创建自己的内部（数字）生态系统方面相当独特。”

China’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment yesterday. Beijing has previously said the antiterrorism and cyber security laws were not aimed at foreign companies.

中国外交部昨日没有回应置评请求。北京方面此前曾表示，反恐和网络安全法律并不针对境外公司。

The letter sent to Mr Li, says the new insurance sector purchasing requirements “may constitute technical barriers to trade as defined by the World Trade Organisation” , which China joined in 2001. Beijing, meanwhile, has complained about Washington and Brussels’ reluctance to recognise China as a market economy, which would make it harder to prosecute Chinese companies for alleged dumping.

致李克强的信件写道，新的保险业采购要求“可能构成符合世界贸易组织(WTO)定义的技术性贸易壁垒”；中国在2001年加入世贸组织。与此同时，北京方面抱怨美国和欧盟不愿承认中国的市场经济地位，这种地位将加大起诉中国企业涉嫌倾销的难度。