The Wall Street Journal
By Liza Lin
March 7, 2024 12:01 am ET
For American tech companies in China, the writing is on the wall. It’s also on paper, in Document 79.
The 2022 Chinese government directive expands a drive that is muscling U.S. technology out of the country—an effort some refer to as “Delete A,” for Delete America.
Document 79 was so sensitive that high-ranking officials and executives were only shown the order and weren’t allowed to make copies, people familiar with the matter said. It requires state-owned companies in finance, energy and other sectors to replace foreign software in their IT systems by 2027.