China will investigate providers of important IT products and services to protect "national security" and "economic and social development", the official Xinhua news agency said on Thursday, amid a row over cyber spying with the United States.
Companies that don't pass the checks will no longer be allowed to supply products and services in China, Xinhua cited the State Internet Information Office as saying. Products that don't meet security requirements will be banned.
The likely consequences of the ruling were not immediately clear but it comes amid a heated dispute with the United States, after Washington charging five Chinese military officers with hacking US companies to steal trade secrets.
The Chinese media on Wednesday labelled the U.S. government a "high-level hooligan", while official in Beijing have accused Washington of "double standards" on issues of cyber spying.
