Chinese authorities have told domestic companies to stop using cybersecurity software made by roughly a dozen firms from the US and Israel due to national security concerns, two people briefed on the matter say.
As trade and diplomatic tensions flare between China and the US and both sides vie for tech supremacy, Beijing has been keen to replace Western-made technology with domestic alternatives.
The US companies whose cybersecurity software has been banned include Broadcom-owned VMware, Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet, while the Israeli companies include Check Point Software Technologies, the sources say.
Reuters was not able to establish how many Chinese companies received the notice that the sources say was issued in recent days.
Chinese authorities expressed concern that the software could collect and transmit confidential information abroad, the sources say. They decline to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation.
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