US IT group protests China's foreign software ban

 The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), which represents 400 US IT firms, has sent letters to officials at the Chinese embassy in Washington and the Beijing-based Chinese Information Industry Trade Association (CIITA) on Aug 20.

 The letters seek to confirm reported policy changes that will limit software purchases to products from China companies only.

 ITAA president Harris Miller said in the letter to minister-counselor of the Chinese embassy, Jin Xiaoming, that the policy will be viewed as protectionist and harmful to trade.

 Such an action will only justify the closure of markets and introduce more nationalistic trends in the information technology (IT) industry, he said.

 Furthermore, the policy would lead to fewer opportunities for the Chinese government to use new technology trends and benefit from innovation in IT, Miller said in the letter.

 He also asked CIITA secretary general Chunlu Liu to get involved with the government and fight efforts to enforce such a policy.

 Lawmakers in the US will receive the message that other countries are closing their markets while America's remains open and accessible, Miller said in the statement.

 "ITAA has actively fought against protectionist policies in our own state capitols and in Washington, and to see such a policy imposed by our partners in China would only result in harm to industry and government in China and the US," he said.

 ITAA members includes giants like Microsoft, Accenture and IBM. The association provides global public policy, business networking, and national leadership to promote the continued rapid growth of the IT industry.

 Recently, a new policy by China's governing body ruled that all ministries buy only locally-produced software at the next upgrade cycle.

 The country aims to get ahead in developing its own technology, including software, and to avoid the license fees levied by foreign firms such as Microsoft.

 In association with ZDNet India