Chinese corporate data provider Qichacha to launch overseas platform after Beijing approval amid regulatory easing

Qichacha, one of China’s biggest corporate database operators, said that it has passed a data export security assessment that allows it to launch a new platform for overseas users, a step in Beijing’s bid to attract back foreign business by easing its stringent rules on cross-border data.

Having passed the Cyberspace Administration of China’s (CAC) data export security assessment on Thursday, Qichacha’s new overseas platform is the first business database to receive approval by the regulator, the company said in a statement on Friday.

The 9-year-old firm, which boasts 400 million users, will soon launch the platform in multiple countries, Qichacha said. Services like Qichacha aim to give users comprehensive, up-to-date information about millions of business entities, including addresses, contacts, ownership structures and legal cases, helping investors make informed decisions.

China proposes relaxing security reviews for most cross-border data flows

China’s major corporate data providers – including Qichacha, rival Tianyancha and financial data terminal operator Wind – stopped allowing users outside the mainland to access certain information earlier this year, following tough rules put in place by the country’s new data security and anti-espionage laws.

Qichacha said on Friday that its new overseas platform was established in response to the CAC regulation, with a series of security measures built in. It did not specify how resources available on the international platform will differ from those available domestically.

Approval of the new platform represents a major pro-business move by the CAC, which in September proposed a relaxation of requirements for outbound data flows.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in China declined by more than 5 per cent in the first eight months of the year from the same period last year, according to official figures from the Ministry of Commerce.