The technology war between China and the United States seems to be heating up again even though the northern hemisphere is currently in winter. According to a Reuters report, China has issued orders to local companies to stop using cybersecurity products from more than a dozen US and Israeli firms.
China took the step for national security reasons. Among the big names affected by this ban are VMware, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, CrowdStrike, McAfee, Check Point, CyberArk, and Imperva.
Chinese authorities are reportedly concerned that this security software has the potential to collect and send sensitive data abroad without permission. The instructions given by the authorities are seen as in line with China's efforts to reduce its dependence on Western technology and replace it with domestic alternatives.
Previously, reports emerged that civil servants are no longer allowed to use US-made devices such as the iPhone. Local companies are also discouraged from buying NVIDIA H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips unless absolutely necessary and instead buy chips made by local companies,
