Jan 14 (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have asked domestic companies to stop using cybersecurity software made by about a dozen U.S. and Israeli companies due to national security concerns, two people familiar with the matter said.
Broadcom’s VMware, Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet are all U.S. companies whose cybersecurity software has been banned, while Check Point Software Technologies is an Israeli company, they said.
Reuters could not determine how many Chinese companies had received the notice, which sources said was issued in recent days.
Chinese authorities have expressed concerns that the software could collect and transmit confidential information abroad, the sources said. The sources declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation.
China’s internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication. The four companies also did not respond to Reuters inquiries.
Beijing has been keen to replace Western-made technology with domestic alternatives as the United States and China vie for technological supremacy amid rising trade and diplomatic tensions.
While its efforts to build fields in semiconductors and artificial intelligence dominate the headlines, it also seeks to displace Western computer equipment and word processing software.
Chinese analysts also say Beijing is increasingly concerned that Western equipment could be hacked by foreign powers.
(Reporting by newsrooms in Beijing and Shanghai; Additional reporting by Raphael Satter in Washington; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)