China Excludes Non-Chinese Security Vendors from Software Supplier List

According to a Bloomberg report today, Microsoft isn't the only company being punished by China for being a non-Chinese entity. Citing security vulnerabilities and potential backdoors designed for espionage (sound familiar?), China's procurement agency has told government agencies to stop buying software from Symantec and Kaspersky Lab.

China has provided a lot of related news recently, particularly with its stance against Microsoft products, banning Office 365 and Windows 8, and revving up a legal inquiry into whether or not the software company is operating against antitrust laws. Based on the recent news, one might think that China has it out only for U.S.-based companies. But, today's news suggests it may actually be a way to wean the country off from using any non-Chinese based products. The Bloomberg report says that while Symantec and Kaspersky Lab have been removed, more Chinese-based companies have been added to replace them. Symantec is based in the U.S., but Kaspersky Lab is a Russian firm.

So, it's clear, China is steadily rebuilding its Great Wall and getting ready to shutdown its electronic Silk Road.

In China versus Microsoft, I outlined the direction I believe China is headed, which is to make it an exclusionary country again. Today's report of Symantec and Kaspersky Labs being excluded from the approved software supplier list is further proving my point. Some say China's recent moves are all predicated by the Snowden revelations about the NSA snooping, but I believe there's more to it that speaks to the core belief from China's history.

The People's Daily Twitter account has confirmed the news: