Yesterday, China and Germany signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cross-Border Data Flow Cooperation, another step to mitigate regulatory obstacles on data transfer, which plays an critical role in the auto industry.

TikTok, along with its parent company Bytedance, filed a petition for review of the constitutionality of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act – which would force TikTok's divestment or ban it – today in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Last week, the U.S. Trade Representative's Office issued its 2024 report on foreign trade barriers. The section on Chinese laws and regulations is mostly the same as the previous year, but new concerns on government procurement, labor, and export restrictions have been added.

Last Friday, China's cyber office finalized a new set of rules that would facilitate cross-border data flows and loosen the regulatory requirements for some personal data transactions, especially for smaller companies.

Today, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) criticized the U.S. for creating "obstacles" for Chinese autos to enter the U.S. market, amidst new announcements from the Biden administration that target China and Chinese automobiles.

Yesterday, the Biden administration issued an executive order on "Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern," with China as a main country of concern.

Last month, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued a guideline on standard contracts for personal data flows in the Greater Bay area. Compared to the more general rules on cross-border data flows, the rules for the Greater Bay area alleviate the burden for business in some ways.