On Tuesday 27 August, the European Union and China launched the new communication mechanism on cross-border flows of non-personal data, announced the Commission in a press release on Wednesday 28 August.
This mechanism stems from the political agreement reached in 2023 at the EU-China High-Level Digital Dialogue and the EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue, the press release adds.
“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”.
At this first meeting, the EU expressed the concrete concerns of EU companies in China.
“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)”.
European companies “have faced increasing uncertainty and difficulties to export data from China. They have been specifically concerned about the systematic application of security approvals to exports of all ‘important data’” following a 2022 law, with the definition of ‘important data’ remaining too vague, according to the press release.
“Restrictions are also a major contributing factor to a declining confidence of European investors in China”, the Commission adds. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)