fbpx
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
36.1 C
Abuja

EU and China launch Cross-Border Data Flow Communication Mechanism

The European Union and China yesterday launched the first discussions under the new Cross-Border Data Flow Communication Mechanism.

Sabine Weyand, director-general of DG Trade at the European Commission, met online yesterday with Vice-Minister Wang Jingtao of the Cyberspace Administration of China to formally launch the new mechanism.

The mechanism will focus on practical solutions to address problems European companies face in China regarding cross-border flows of non-personal data.

This is a deliverable of the political agreement reached in 2023 between European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová and Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing at the EU-China High-Level Digital Dialogue, as well as at the EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue between Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng.

It aims at finding ways to facilitate cross-border transfers of non-personal data for European businesses, as well as their compliance with Chinese data laws. This issue was also raised by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, in their December 2023 meeting with China’s president, Xi Jinping, followed by an exchange with China’s premier, Li Qiang, in the context of the last EU-China Summit.

At the inaugural formal meeting of the new mechanism – the first cooperation structure of its kind between the two sides – the EU expressed its objective of addressing concrete concerns raised by EU businesses in China regarding cross-border flows of non-personal data.

Data flows are essential to trade. A significant part of the EU-China foreign direct investment stock depends on companies’ ability to manage their data across borders. This is particularly relevant for sectors such as finance and insurance, pharma, automotive, and information and communication technology (ICT). Cross-border data flows are key for research & development activities, and essential for business to thrive.

In recent years, European businesses in China have faced increasing uncertainty and difficulties in exporting data from China. They have been specifically concerned about the systematic application of security approvals to exports of all ‘important data’, following the 2022 adoption of the law on Measures for Data Export Security Assessment. This concern has been further exacerbated by uncertainty as to what constitutes ‘important data’, as the concept has so far been only vaguely defined and applied in a far-reaching manner. Cross-border data transfer restrictions are also a major contributing factor to the declining confidence of European investors in China.

Further engagement is foreseen at expert and technical levels, with a view to reviewing progress at the political level at the next appropriate occasion.

 

Hot this week

MURIC Urges Wike to Reinstate Suspended FCDA Secretary, Demands Transparency

ABUJA, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)...

Dele Farotimi Freed After Fulfilling Bail Terms

Embattled activist lawyer, Dele Farotimi has regained his freedom...

FCT Doctors Warn Wike: Meet Demands or Face ‘Deadliest Shutdown’

ABUJA, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — The Association of Resident Doctors...

“No Going Back” On Tax Reform — President Tinubu

LAGOS, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on...

NRC Halts Warri-Itakpe Train Service Following Derailment

Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended Warri-Itakpe train service...

Latest

MURIC Urges Wike to Reinstate Suspended FCDA Secretary, Demands Transparency

ABUJA, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)...

Dele Farotimi Freed After Fulfilling Bail Terms

Embattled activist lawyer, Dele Farotimi has regained his freedom...

FCT Doctors Warn Wike: Meet Demands or Face ‘Deadliest Shutdown’

ABUJA, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — The Association of Resident Doctors...

“No Going Back” On Tax Reform — President Tinubu

LAGOS, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on...

NRC Halts Warri-Itakpe Train Service Following Derailment

Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended Warri-Itakpe train service...

Court Orders IGP to Release Singer Speed Darlington Within 48 Hours

A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered...

Former Volkswagen CEO accuses judge of bias in Dieselgate case

Former Volkswagen Group chief executive Martin Winterkorn has accused...
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Section

spot_imgspot_img

MORE FROM CHATNEWSTV

Jewish Taliban: Guatemala Blocks Lev Tahor Cult’s Attempt to Recapture Rescued Children

GUATEMALA CITY (CHATNEWSTV) — Guatemalan authorities thwarted an attempt by members of the Jewish Extremist Ultra-Orthodox to recapture 160 children rescued during a police...

Scholz due in Magdeburg after deadly Christmas market car ramming

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser are due in Magdeburg on Saturday, hours after at least two people were killed, including...

Most Germans favour giving Syrian refugees time before returning home

A clear majority of German residents believe Syrian refugees should be allowed to remain in the country until conditions in their homeland are peaceful...

Germany’s Scholz on Musk: Freedom of opinion applies to billionaires

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday said freedom of opinion "also applies to multi-billionaires," after Elon Musk said that only the far-right Alternative for...

U.S. Government Shutdown Imminent After Trump and Musk Derail Funding Agreement

Republicans in the US Congress agreed on a new funding package Thursday aimed at averting a holiday-season government shutdown after President-elect Donald Trump and...

Merkel says irregular migration can’t be solved at internal borders

Cologne (dpa) – Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has argued that international cooperation, not the closure of internal European borders, is the key to addressing irregular migration. Speaking...

OSCE Troika Condemns Georgian Authorities’ Response to Protests

VIENNA (CHATNEWSTV) — The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Troika on Friday condemned the Georgian government’s violent crackdown on peaceful protests,...

German institutes sink forecasts as Europe’s largest economy sputters

By Roland Losch, dpa Leading German economic institutes on Thursday warned that gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to stagnate in 2025 as Europe's largest...

Scholz labels call with Putin ‘frustrating’ but he’d do it again

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he's willing to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin again even though his recent phone call yielded no results. "It...