IT security plan 'to safeguard State secrets'

Emphasis on domestic software development may be new hurdle for foreign companies

The government will issue a five-year information security plan that aims to safeguard State secrets and data in strategically important industries, a senior official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Wednesday.

The government will focus on strengthening the safety of software in the financial sector and for applications used by government departments and State-owned enterprises this year, said Chen Wei, director of the software bureau at the ministry.