China passes cryptography law. To be effective from Jan 1st, 2020

The Standing Committee of China National People Congress voted on Oct 26 to pass cryptography law, which will go into effect on Jan 1, 2020.

The new law focuses on the regulation of cryptography-based password management and practices to follow for products and services that use cryptography encryption for protecting users’ information. For instance, defining the mandatory minimum requirement for encryption strength or secret key length.

The People’s Republic of China first released the draft cryptography law in July 2019. The approval comes after China’s President Xi stated that China should take the lead in the blockchain technology. Since the announcement, there are also reports of several top universities in China have begun offering courses on blockchain.

China joins the ranks of very few countries that have established national legislation on cryptography. As China plans to increase the use of blockchain for commercial use, educating and regulating cryptography-based protection becomes essential to safeguard citizens’ interest.

With the law in effect from 2020, China developers can use cryptography encryption in their applications to enhance information security.