Eight Ministries Issue New Rules on Auto Data Export, Major Compliance Shift for Automakers Going Global

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and seven other government departments jointly issued the "Guidelines on Automotive Data Cross-border Transfer Security (2026 Edition)," establishing a systematic regulatory framework for the cross-border flow of automotive data. The Guidelines clearly define their scope of application, management approaches, criteria for determining data exports, and specific procedures, aiming to build an efficient, convenient, and secure mechanism for automotive data transfers across borders. This move provides automakers with a clear compliance framework for expanding into overseas markets and marks a critical step forward in China's efforts to strengthen security management of automotive data exports, thereby elevating industry-wide compliance standards and supporting automakers in their more robust global expansion.