HONG KONG — China has suspended a policy that would have effectively pushed foreign technology companies out of the country’s banking sector, according to a note sent by Chinese regulators to banks.
香港——中国银行业监管机构给银行下发的通知文件显示，中国暂停了一项事实上会将外国科技企业赶出中国银行业的政策。
Dated Monday, the letter called for banks to “suspend implementation” of the rules, which have been at the center of a brewing trade conflict between the United States and China. The rules, put into effect at the end of last year, called for companies that sell computer equipment to Chinese banks to turn over intellectual property and submit source code, in addition to other demands.
周一下发的文件要求银行“暂停实施”相关规定，这些规定在中美不断发酵的贸易冲突中成了一个核心问题。去年年底开始实施的规定除了提出其他要求，还规定那些向中国的银行出售计算机设备的公司，必须移交知识产权并提交源代码。

At stake is billions of dollars of business for major American companies that make the advanced computing hardware and software that crunches numbers for banks across China. Trade groups representing companies including Microsoft, IBM and Apple have complained that such policies are protectionist.
这项规定涉及研发先进计算机硬件和软件的大型美国企业，价值数十亿美元的业务，中国各地的银行都利用这些软硬件来处理数据。代表微软(Microsoft)、IBM及苹果(Apple)等公司的行业组织抱怨称，此类政策属于保护主义政策。
Yet the development is only a small reprieve for American tech companies. The suspension is temporary as authorities revise the rules. It’s unclear how regulators will change the rules, but industry officials say a new version — even if it avoids more contentious issues like forcing the disclosure of source code — will still be problematic to multinational tech companies.
但事态的这一步进展，对于美国科技企业来说只是暂时的缓解。相关机构正在修改规定，延后举措只是暂时的。目前尚不清楚监管机构会对规定做出何种修订，但业界人士表示，对于国际科技企业来说，修订后的新版本——即便避免了迫使公司提交源代码等争议较大的问题——仍旧会存在问题。
The recent trade debate is part of a wider clash between China and the United States over online security and technology policy. The United States has accused Chinese military personnel of hacking American companies to gain commercial advantages for Chinese companies. And the Chinese maintain that disclosures from the former National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden of American online espionage across the globe are reason enough for the country to wean itself off foreign technology, which may have been tampered with by United States intelligence agencies.
最近的贸易争端是网络安全及技术政策在中美两国间造成的广泛冲突的一部分。美国指责中国军方人员攻击美国企业，以便为中国企业赢得商业优势。中国则坚称，前美国国家安全局(National Security Agency)承包商雇员爱德华·J·斯诺登(Edward J. Snowden)揭露了美国在全球开展的网络间谍活动，这让中国有充分的理由放弃使用外国技术，美国情报机构可能对这些技术做过手脚。
In the letter, which was reviewed by The New York Times, the China Banking Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that since the rules were passed, financial institutions and other parties had “amendment suggestions.” The regulations will be reissued after they are revised, according to the letter.
《纽约时报》查阅的通知显示，中国银行业监督管理委员会及工业和信息化部表示，自规定获得通过以来，金融机构和其他各方提出了“修改建议”。通知称，规定在经过修订后，将会重新发布。
After a meeting between Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew and top Chinese officials last month, United States officials said that the rules would be suspended. But this week, a letter signed by American, European and Japanese trade groups said the policies were continuing, and they called for Beijing to put in writing that it would stop carrying them out. With the note issued this week, the Chinese government appears to have done that.
美国财政部长雅各布·J·卢(Jacob J. Lew)和中国高层官员上个月举行了会谈，美国官员在会后表示，相关规定会暂停实施。但本周，美国、欧洲及日本行业团体签署的一封信件称，中国仍在继续推行相关政策，它们要求北京方面通过书面文件确保中国将停止实施相关政策。从本周下发的通知来看，中国政府似乎已经做到了这一点。
Such backpedaling is rare for Chinese policy makers, yet there is a precedent. In 2009, China said all computers imported to the country must come with filtering software called Green Dam-Youth Escort preinstalled. After heavy international pressure, China suspended the rule indefinitely.
虽然中国政策制定者撤回决策是非常罕见的举动，但之前有过先例。2009年，中国表示，所有进口到中国的电脑都必须预装名为绿坝-花季护航的过滤软件。在国际社会施以重压后，中国无限期暂停了这项规定。
Still, the banking regulations are less likely to share the fate of Green Dam. Although the Chinese appeared to have backed down on the regulations, China will most likely use “overt and covert” means to favor domestic tech companies over foreign ones, an American industry official said.
但上述规定的前景应该不会与绿坝一样。美国的一名业界官员表示，虽然中国似乎在相关规定上做出了让步，但中国可能会通过“公开或隐蔽”的方式偏袒国内科技企业，而非外国科技企业。
“On the overt side would be to use the cyber-review testing regime, which is in formation now and where the focus will be on blocking American companies on security grounds,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“明面上会采用目前正在制定的网络安全审核机制，重点是以安全为由限制美国公司，”这名要求匿名的官员说。
The government will almost certainly use covert means by quietly instructing Chinese banks not to procure from foreign companies, the official said.
该官员称，政府几乎肯定会使用隐蔽的手段，悄悄指示中国的银行不要从外国公司采购。
“Most people here believe the Chinese policy will be to boost domestic I.C.T. manufacturers and kick out foreign companies, particularly American ones,” said the official, referring to information and communications technology.
“这里的大部分人都认为，中国的政策将是支持国内的信息与通讯技术厂商，把外国公司，特别是美国公司踢出去，”这名官员说。
The government may have decided to scuttle the regulations because they were poorly drafted and contained language about industrial policy that flew in the face of World Trade Organization rules, the official said.
该官员表示，可能是因为起草仓促，并且含有与世界贸易组织(World Trade Organization)的规则相违背的行业政策，政府才决定叫停相关规定。
The Chinese technology rules, which Beijing says are intended to strengthen online security in the government and critical industries, are the first of a series of policies expected to be unveiled in the coming year. A proposed antiterror law that seems to have the backing of China’s security apparatus mandates that foreign companies give up encryption keys or use Chinese encryption in all devices sold in the country.
未来一年，中国预计会出台一系列政策，前述科技政策就是最早实施的一项。北京方面表示，该政策旨在加强政府及关键行业的网络安全。一份反恐法草案要求外国公司交出加密秘钥，或者在所有在华销售的设备中，使用中国的加密工具。该草案似乎得到了中国安全系统的支持。
Foreign trade groups representing multinationals like Microsoft, IBM and Apple say the security concerns are a pretext to pass protectionist policies shutting foreign companies out of one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing information technology markets.
代表微软、IBM和苹果等跨国企业的外国行业团体称，安全担忧是推行保护主义政策的借口。中国是全世界最大、增长最快的信息技术市场之一，相关政策将使外国公司被这个市场拒之门外。
In a statement on Thursday, Josh Kallmer, senior vice president for global policy at the Information Technology Industry Council, a trade group that represents 60 tech companies including Microsoft and IBM, said that the rules suspension was welcome and that he hoped “this announcement means that Chinese financial institutions will have full access to the best technology — whether made domestically or globally.” The group wants “the Chinese government to embrace a globally leading role in undertaking open and transparent consultative processes among stakeholders in developing cybersecurity measures,” he said.
在周四发表的一则声明中，代表微软和IBM等60家科技企业的行业团体信息技术产业协会(Information Technology Industry Council)负责全球政策的高级副会长乔希·卡尔默(Josh Kallmer)对暂停相关规定表示欢迎，并表示希望“这则通知意味着中国的金融机构将能完整采用最好的技术——不管是国内还是国外研发的”。他说，该组织希望“中国政府在制定网络安全政策时，能承担起全球领导者的角色，以公开透明的程序咨询利益相关方”。
As the United States and China spar over technology concerns, the United States has also said that telecommunications and computing equipment made by the Chinese company Huawei could have so-called back doors — allowing monitoring by third parties — making it virtually impossible for Huawei to sell higher-end networking equipment in the United States. And more recently, President Obama warned that countries found to be responsible for online attacks against American companies might be subject to sanctions, a comment that analysts said was aimed in part at China.
随着美国和中国围绕技术问题争论不休，美国也表示，中国公司华为生产的通讯和计算设备可能存在所谓的后门，允许第三方进行监视。这导致华为几乎不可能在美国销售较为高端的网络设备。而且就在最近，奥巴马总统警告称，被认定应对美国企业遭受的网络攻击负责的国家，可能会受到制裁。分析人士称，奥巴马的此番评论在一定程度上针对的是中国。
In addition to raising concerns after Mr. Snowden’s revelations, high-ranking Chinese security analysts have called vociferously, in a movement trumpeted in China’s state-run media, for China to get rid of high-end computing equipment made by companies like IBM and Oracle and used in critical industries like energy, banking and telecommunications.
除了在斯诺登泄密事件后表示担忧外，级别颇高的中国安全分析人士还极力呼吁，在能源、银行和通讯等关键行业，摈弃IBM和甲骨文(Oracle)等公司生产的高端计算设备。这场运动得到了官方媒体的极力赞扬。
“I think the direction is clear,” said Adam Segal, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “There will still be some type of regulation that in the Chinese mind addresses their security concerns and gives greater transparency into U.S. technology companies. I don’t think that’s going to change.”
“我觉得方向很明确，”对外关系委员会(Council on Foreign Relations)的高级研究员亚当·谢加尔(Adam Segal)说。“依然会有某种在中方看来，既能解决安全顾虑，又能更清晰地窥视美国科技企业的监管规定。我觉得这一点不会变。”