Advertisement
Shanghai releases white list to expedite overseas data transfers for Tesla, other firms in city’s free-trade zone
- The ‘general data’ list, covering 64 categories, will enable certain firms to make data transfers overseas without a security assessment
- Tesla, along with 13 other automotive companies in Shanghai, formed part of the working group that drafted the list
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Ann Caoin Shanghai
Shanghai on Friday released a white list to expedite cross-border data transfers for companies that operate in its pilot free-trade zone, including electric vehicle maker Tesla, providing a much-needed boost for the country’s efforts to retain and reel in more international business.
Advertisement
The first batch of this “general data” list, which covers 64 categories, will enable enterprises involved in intelligent connected vehicles, publicly offered funds and biopharmaceuticals to make data transfers overseas without obtaining regulatory approval, according to a WeChat post by authorities at Lingang New Area, part of Shanghai’s free-trade zone in Pudong district.
The release of that list has made Shanghai the first city on the mainland to implement concrete local rules to expedite the flow of general data overseas, several months after it opened an industrial estate focused on the data industry.
Shanghai’s three-tiered, cross-border information regime identifies “important data” as those that require security assessment by local authorities, while those classified as “core data” are prohibited from being transferred overseas.
This initiative by China’s commercial and financial hub is expected to fix a sore point for Tesla and other multinational companies under that three-tiered cross-border data flow regime.
Advertisement
Advertisement