![David J. Firestein David J. Firestein](https://www.eastwest.ngo/sites/default/files/styles/280x280/public/profile-images/David%20Firestein.png?itok=RpD5abRX)
SC Magazine Quotes Firestein on Chinese IT Regulations
In an article on Chinese IT regulations, SC Magazine featured comments by David Firestein, EWI vice president for strategic trust-building and Track 2 diplomacy.
The article covered the negative reaction among Chinese officials to a new bill that requires a strict approval process for American governmental purchases of Chinese software.
This requirement, an element of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013, follows a recent uproar over reports of alleged Chinese cyber attacks on American computer systems. Chinese officials have expressed opposition to the change, calling it a "discriminatory" action.
Firestein explained that “it's no surprise that this rule has generated a lot of attention in China, but one shouldn't overstate what the law seeks to do," continuing "it puts in a quality control premise. It doesn't seek to ban, but to [implement] a vetting mechanism.”