China has released the 2026 edition of the security guide on the cross-border transfer of automobile data, aiming to build an efficient, convenient and secure mechanism for such flows and further facilitate automobile data exports.

The guide, jointly issued by eight government departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), is structured in four parts, covering general provisions, rules for identifying important data in typical auto-industry scenarios, the data export process, and security protection requirements.

For the identification of important data, the guide refines rules across a range of scenarios, including research and development, manufacturing, driving automation, and software upgrades.

An MIIT official said the guide aims to implement requirements on management of cross-border date transfer as stipulated in Chinese laws and regulations concerning data security, personal information protection, security of network data, and security of automobile data, improve the convenience of data exports for the auto sector and promote positive interplay between high-quality development and high-level security.

The guide follows the principles of the Global Cross-Border Data Flow Cooperation Initiative and takes the automobile industry as a pilot field, offering a China solution for the secure management of cross-border automobile data transfers, the official said.