"I welcome China's announcement today that it has eliminated Information Security testing and certification mandates for information technology products used in the commercial marketplace. China's action is a step in the right direction, reflecting its acknowledgement that mandated information security certification schemes rules are not appropriate for commercial information technology products. We appreciate China's willingness to work with foreign industry and foreign governments in efforts to address global concerns about these regulations.
"We remain very concerned about China's plans to mandate on May 1, 2010 the information security testing and certification rules for products procured by China's government in a manner not consistent with global norms. The Administration will continue to engage our counterparts in China to address this and related concerns at this time of global economic uncertainty and strengthen our efforts to promote innovation in the global marketplace."
BACKGROUND
On April 29, 2009, three Chinese government agencies jointly issued Public Announcement 2009-33 adjusting the scope of earlier measures that would have imposed mandated testing and certification requirements for 13 information technology products used in the commercial marketplace. Public Announcement 2009-33 eliminates the testing and certification requirements for commercial sale of the 13 products in China, limits the scope of the requirements to products sold to China's government under its government procurement laws, and imposes a deadline of May 1, 2010 for compliance with the new rules for government-procured products in the 13 product categories.
