China’s Big Tech crackdown: A complete timeline

On the surface, China’s “tech crackdown” is exactly that: a clash between government power — wielded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — and what many call the “tech sector.” The reality is more complicated. Though there may be some method to the madness, the agencies involved are diverse, the sectors targeted are wide-ranging, and so, too, are the justifications.

The China Project published a guide to the tech crackdown on August 2, 2021. This timeline accompanies that guide.

The timeline of regulatory events and other developments can be filtered by Agency, Sector, or Official Justification. Those three categories have the following components:

Sector

• Fintech
• Ecommerce
• Education
• Ride hailing
• Social media and user-generated video
• Music, literature, and other IPR
• Gaming
• E-cigarettes
• Insurance

Agency or government department

• Politburo — the highest policy-making body of the Communist Party of China, made up of 25 officials and led by President Xi Jinping.
• State Council — China’s highest governing body, or Cabinet.
• SAMR — the State Administration of Market Regulation, the department in charge of antitrust cases along with intellectual property, food safety, equipment safety, etc.
• CAC — the Cyberspace Administration of China, the central internet regulator in charge of data security and censorship, founded in 2014.
• CSRC — the China Security Regulatory Commission, a government ministry of the State Council, China’s highest administrative body, and the main regulator of the securities industry in China.
• PBOC — the People’s Bank of China, China’s central bank responsible for monetary policy and financial regulation.
• MIIT — the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the agency responsible for regulating the postal service, internet, wireless, broadcasting, communications, and software industry.
• MOE — the Ministry of Education, which regulates all aspects of the educational system.
• SAPPRFT — the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, which, along with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) and the General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) are an alphabet soup of agencies that still have some say over news agencies, publishers, and broadcasters.
• CBIRC — The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

Official justification

• Data security
• Antitrust
• Financial risk
• Marketing deception
• Workers’ rights
• Content regulation
• Burden on children