TOKYO—According to a report by Japan’s Yomiuri, China plans to implement a new regulation in May that will force foreign electronics manufactures to publicize their source code used in electronic products.
The new regulation will apply to electronics manufactured in China. If companies do not comply with this regulation, their sales will be banned in China.
The planned regulation has not been adopted by any of developed countries. Many Japanese manufactures may be forced to release their commercial secrets, if the regulation is established on schedule.
China says this regulation is to prevent virus attacks. The U.S., Japan, and the E.U. are condemning these measures. They worry the leakage of the source code may not only cause losses but also disclosure of intellectual properties. Japan has already expressed serious concerns this past fall.
China originally released a proposal for the regulation last May and planned to execute it this May. Facing strong opposition, China announced in March it would delay the effective date of its implementation. However, China has not indicated whether it planned on modifying the regulation or how long its implementation would be delayed.
The Yomiuri report says the proposal of this new regulation has raised international concern as China ignores the opposing voices. The US, Japan, and the E.U. are expected to take action once they have a better understanding of the details.