China reportedly bans foreign hardware, software from government offices

The Chinese government is reportedly planning to remove foreign PCs and software from its government offices and public institutions. In a directive issued earlier this year, Beijing officials ordered that all hardware and software be replaced with Chinese alternatives within the next three years, the Financial Times reported Sunday. The policy has reportedly been nicknamed 3-5-2 because it sets targets for government offices to replace 30% of foreign hardware and software in 2020, 50% in 2021 and 20% in 2022. 

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The US and China have been entangled in a trade war for more than a year. In November, the US Federal Communications Commission voted to prohibit the use of its annual $8.5 billion Universal Service Fund to purchase equipment and services from China-based Huawei and ZTE because they allegedly pose a national security threat. The FCC order also calls for carriers receiving USF funds to remove and replace any existing equipment from the Chinese companies. 

The Commerce Department also blacklisted Huawei following a May executive order from President Donald Trump that effectively banned the company from US communications networks. Huawei and ZTE have denied that their gear can be used to spy or to compromise US security.