A report by the National Development and Reform Commission of China and the Ministry of Finance bans the purchase of certain foreign IT products for selected government procurement lists. For example, one government procurement list banned ten Apple Inc. products, including the iPad, iPad Mini, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
A separate procurement list includes some Apple computers that departments can continue to buy on a smaller scale, i.e. purchases totalling less than 1.2 million yuan (USD 195,000). Products from Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Chinese maker Lenovo Group Ltd. were included on both lists. This ban applies to all central Communist Party departments, government ministries and local governments.

China has a copyright regime under the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. Art. 22 lists the exceptions, which include: the use of a published work for the purposes of the user's own private study, research or self-entertainment; and the use of a published work, within proper scope, by a State organ for the purpose of fulfilling its official duties; among others.

In June 2014, the Centre of Public Procurement of the Central Government issued the result of the public tender for central government procurement of electronic information products of 2014 (Vol. 21, GC-HJ140283). Under the "Antivirus Software" category, all foreign security providers such as Kaspersky and Symantec were excluded from the list. Only five Chinese providers, i.e. 360, Jiangmin, Rising, Kingsoft, and KILL, are listed for national security consideration.

It is reported that concerns regarding online piracy in China persist, with rights holders continuing to emphasise the need for effective enforcement and clearer delineation of criminal liability for the manufacture, distribution, and export of circumvention devices, as well as for the adoption of additional measures to address online piracy.

It is reported that stakeholders have expressed concern about a confidential 2022 document issued by the State‑owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), known as Document 79, which is understood to set out a phased requirement for the exclusive adoption of “secure and controllable” ICT products across the information systems of the Chinese Government, the Chinese Communist Party and state‑owned enterprises. According to these reports, most government institutions in China are now procuring domestic technologies in preference to foreign solutions, even when the latter may be technologically superior, covering both hardware and software. If fully implemented, Document 79 would result in all governmental entities relying solely on domestic technology by 2027. It is further reported that China has invoked similar “secure and controllable” requirements in various regulatory measures since 2013, some of which have compelled the transfer or disclosure of source code or other forms of intellectual property.

China is a signatory of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of 1996 and its 2015 expansion (ITA II).

In April 2007, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China announced anti-dumping duties on electrolytic capacitor paper (HS 480511, 480591) imported from Japan. This measure was revised and extended in April 2013, and then in April 2019 and in April 2025. The rate of duty imposed ranges from 15% to 40.83%, depending on the company. Electrolytic capacitor paper is used in an aluminum electrolytic capacitor that is a component of home electric appliances, computers, and more. This paper is used to retain electrolytic solution and insulation between the cathode foil and anode foil as main functions.

In August 2014, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (MOFCOM) announced anti-dumping duties on single-mode optical fibres imported from India. In August 2020, the MOFCOM reported that it would continue to impose antidumping duties for another five years (until August 2025). The rate of duty imposed ranges from 7.4% to 30.6%, depending on the company. China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that on 14 August 2025 it had initiated an expiry review of the existing measures, during which the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council will maintain the anti‑dumping duties without modification, thereby leaving both the scope of application and the duty rates unchanged.

China imposes anti-dumping duties on optical fibre preforms imported from Japan and the United States, with current rates of 14.4%-31.2% for Japanese products and 17.4%-41.7% for those from the United States. The measures were first introduced in August 2015 for two years, extended in 2018 for a further five years, and renewed again in July 2024 for an additional five-year period. Optical fibre preforms are a key input in the manufacture of optical fibres, which are used to transmit signals through various types of optical cables.

In January 2005, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China announced anti-dumping duties on non-displacement single-mode optical fibres (used, for example, for long-distance telephony and multichannel television broadcasting systems) (HS code: 9001.1000) imported from Japan and South Korea. This measure was reviewed and extended in January 2011 and, subsequently, in January 2017 and January 2022. The rate of duty imposed on imports originating in Japan is 46%, while imports originating in South Korea range from 7.9% to 46%, depending on the company.

In April 2011, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China announced anti-dumping duties on non-displacement single-mode optical fibres (used, for example, for long-distance telephony and multichannel television broadcasting systems) (HS code: 9001.1000) imported from the EU and the U.S. This measure was reviewed and extended in April 2017 and, subsequently in April 2022. The duty rate on imports originating from the European Union ranges from 12.9% to 29.1%, depending on the company. The duty rate on imports originating from the United States ranges from 33.3% to 78.2%, depending on the company.

Japan has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Japan has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

It is reported that the ".JP" domain name registration framework stipulates the necessity of a local contact address.