China has reportedly ordered all foreign PC hardware and operating systems to be replaced in the next three years, intensifying an ongoing tech war. The country has attempted this sort of thing before halfheartedly, but this is the most serious effort yet to isolate itself from the influence of the western technology sector.
According to the report, China will spend between now and 2022 transitioning off American hardware and software in favor of local alternatives.
This isn’t the first time that China has publicly and not-so publicly declared American technology as persona non grata within its government. But the move may have more urgency this time as the country looks to push back against the broader geopolitical picture. Not to mention that other nations, like Russia, are also doing their best to push domestic technology onto their citizens.
China is also looking for ways to better control the internet and keep its data within its borders, following the 2017 China Internet Security Law. One of its tentpole features is a rule to ensure that all technology is “secure” and “controllable,” which is, as usual, particularly troubling.
The specifics of the plan are still confidential but will likely trickle out as they begin to be enforced. But this is likely to be a major driver of industry dynamics for several years as suppliers, developers and manufacturers all learn to navigate the divergent markets.
