According to a government directive reviewed by Bloomberg, China has instructed domestic enterprises not to use cybersecurity products from U.S. and Israeli companies, including Palo Alto Networks Inc., Fortinet Inc., and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
The directive requires all institutions to check whether they are using any cybersecurity products from the specified companies, and to replace them with domestic technology by the first half of 2026. The government directive indicates that the use of such products by Chinese enterprises could result in sensitive data being transmitted overseas, or could bring other security vulnerabilities to customers.
The U.S. government has likewise restricted government agencies from using products from certain Chinese companies, also citing security concerns.
The document also accuses relevant U.S. and Israeli companies of having links to intelligence agencies, but does not provide evidence or specify the particular security issues involved.
Foreign media also quoted three informed sources reporting that, for national security considerations, China has ordered domestic enterprises to stop using cybersecurity software from more than a dozen U.S. and Israeli companies.
It was not possible for foreign media to determine how many Chinese enterprises had received the notification allegedly issued recently, according to the informed sources.