Chinese corporate data provider Qichacha has become the first of its kind to pass the security review by the government cyber watchdog in order to launch an overseas platform. This is the most recent sign of Beijing relaxing controls over data exports.

Speaking at the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE), which kicked off yesterday, Chinese leaders made commitments on opening up, international agreements, and data flows. While there has been some movement in these areas, more needs to be done to overcome the downward trend of its trade and investment.

Last week, Beijing issued a draft provision for cross-border data flows, potentially lowering the compliance cost for companies and waiving regulatory requirements for some data exports. The draft, however, is awaiting finalization, which could bring more changes.

As part of a wrongful dismissal suit filed in May, Yintao Yu, the former head of engineering for ByteDance’s U.S. operations, alleged that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has "supreme access" to all the company's data, including data stored in the U.S.

To implement Measures that will become effective tomorrow, China's cyber watchdog issued a Guideline on the procedure for using the standard contracts to export personal data.

Recently, the Chinese government issued several drafts of mandatory national standards for automobiles, including on cyber security and management systems, as well as on data recording systems. One of the drafts touches on vehicle designs and settings that would allow cross-border data transfer.

China's internet watchdog, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), recently issued the rules on standard contracts used for personal data exports. Companies will have until December 1, 2023 to bring their existing practice into full compliance. A template of a standard contract is attached to the rules, with specific clauses