China has launched a review of U.S. global cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks, citing national security.
On the 7th, according to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, the Cybersecurity Review Office under the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said the previous day that, under the National Security Law and the Cybersecurity Law, it will conduct a cybersecurity review of Palo Alto Networks' products sold in China.
The Cybersecurity Review Office said the move is "a measure to ensure the safe and stable operation of critical information infrastructure and to prevent cybersecurity risks to safeguard national security," but it did not disclose specifics such as which products are subject to the review, the background for launching it, or the review period.
The step comes as the United States and China exchange mutual trade sanctions and countermeasures. U.S. authorities recently added advanced Chinese robots and power inverters to import restrictions and placed 43 Chinese corporations on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) sanctions list.
In response, China tightened controls on exports to the United States of dual-use drone-related goods and suspended certification cooperation with the United States, and it also announced sanctions on seven U.S. corporations. However, Chinese authorities did not say whether the Palo Alto security review is related to U.S.-China tensions.