National security comes first in IT considerations

Chinese authorities in charge of government procurement responded to Apple iPads and MacBook laptops being "removed" from its July procurement list on Thursday.

According to the official source, these products failed to be listed because Apple Inc hadn't offered related documents to the authorities before the deadline. It is not a government ban that crossed these products off the list.

Whatever the exact reason, security looms larger than ever when it comes to government procurement.

In 2013, the leaks from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden sounded an alarm bell about the US security threat faced by countries all over the world, including China.

Data shows that cyber attacks on China's key organizations in sectors such as the military, scientific research and finance have mainly come from the US.

According to Mei Xinyu, a trade expert from the Ministry of Commerce, many countries have become wary of US IT products since the Snowden revelations.

Recent exposures of loopholes in iPhone have raised more concerns about information security in China. Although this time, Apple being "banned" is probably just a piece of fake news, there is still no guarantee that similar cases won't stand in the way between China and the US. In fact, the US still insists that products from Chinese IT companies such as ZTE and Huawei can't be trusted.

Many observers of Sino-US relations have expressed concerns over risks of conflicts in cyberspace between the two. First of all, they should have similar ideas on cyberspace and avoid the risk that both sides will lose out. Meanwhile, as China defends its own national security, it should also convince other countries of its strategic measures in governing cyberspace.

On the other hand, there is a clear factor of commercial opportunism. The fact Apple products are not on the government procurement list is perhaps good news for domestic brands, as they can take this opportunity to seize more market share from their US rivals.

But since there is still a large gap between Chinese companies and their US rivals in terms of IT operations and the research and development of IT products, and given the Chinese people's fascination about the thriving innovation of American IT goods, domestic brands still need to put more effort into convincing the consumers.