TÜViT and ISCCC to deepen their cooperation at a workshop in Beijing

At a joint workshop with over 100 company representatives held in Beijing, TÜViT and the Chinese inspection and certification organisation for IT security, China Information Security Certification Center (ISCCC), presented the similarities and differences in the approach of the two countries on matters such as IT security, Industry 4.0, industrial security and data protection. The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) also participated with a presentation of the German IT security certification scheme. The workshop, which was organised jointly by TÜViT and ISCCC, was attended by over 100 representatives of various Chinese companies, including major industrial players such as Huawei, ZPMC and CRRC.

TÜViT and ISCCC intend to cooperate closely and to enter into sustained technical dialogue concerning their approach to IT security audits in Industry 4.0 and smart production. Chinese companies are increasingly turning to German and European standards for guidance, not least in the wake of the “Made in China 2025” government initiative and proactive efforts to promote Chinese chip manufacturers. TÜViT is following the current trend in which ever greater quantities of IT security products are coming from China, even to the extent that certain sectors are already dominated by Chinese manufacturers.

Dirk Kretzschmar, General Manager of TÜViT, gives further background information: “The collaboration between TÜViT and ISCCC is also going to give us access to the kinds of Chinese manufacturers who aspire to the Common Criteria certification issued by the BSI in Germany so that they can qualify their exports on the European market for use in the national security field. There used to be lots of reservations concerning the award of German certifications to Chinese security firms. But if there are no longer any alternatives to these products, it’s better that we evaluate them in Germany ourselves in line with our high standards before the German state is forced to accept internationally issued certificates. The central theme of the workshop was to reassure the Chinese firms that there are no longer any major restrictions on the Common Criteria certification procedures of the BSI.”

At the same time, the cooperation will offer TÜViT better access to the Chinese market and participation in the Chinese digital boom. The intention is now to make use in particular of the Profit Centre Greater China to nurture and intensify these new customer relationships in the long term.