In his most recent appeal to protect online data and information, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the need to build a strong security barrier for China's internet under the control of the ruling Communist Party.

During a cybersecurity meeting in Beijing that concluded on Saturday, Xi delivered instructions to officials, urging them to manage and regulate the internet in accordance with the law and the Party’s guidance.

The President reiterated the importance of the Party’s management of the internet and its alignment with the principle of serving the people.

"We must adhere to the Party's management of the internet and adhere to (the principle of) making the internet work for the people," state-run Xinhua news agency cited Xi as saying.

Over the past decade, President Xi has prioritized security in various domains, encompassing politics, the economy, the environment, and cyberspace.

In 2015, China passed a national security law with a broader scope to include cyberspace. A year later, a law that mandated security audits and the storage of data on Chinese servers was passed.

In 2021, China introduced regulations focused on critical information infrastructure. The country’s lawmakers also updated anti-espionage legislation to prohibit the transfer of national security-related information and broaden the definition of spying.

However, complying with China’s intricate web of rules and laws concerning online data and information comes with inherent risks for companies. 

In April, police reportedly visited and questioned some employees at the Shanghai branch of the American consulting firm Bain & Co. The Financial Times said that the police also took away computers and phones, citing sources briefed on the unexpected visit.

Additionally, China’s largest financial data provider, Wind Information Co, was instructed by regulators to halt the provision of specific data to offshore users last year.

Furthermore, in 2021, a cybersecurity investigation was launched against Didi Global, a prominent ride-hailing company, just two days after it went public in the United States.

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