Chinese authorities have unveiled a document on internet regulation in a bid to beef up cybersecurity. The guidelines were issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China; the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China; and the Standardization Administration of China.

According to the document, mandatory national standards will be introduced to regulate the fields of major information technology infrastructure protection and classified networks.

Authorities will accelerate the introduction of standards in cybersecurity, personal information protection, cybersecurity information sharing and other fields. The new standards will be in line with the country’s laws and regulations.

The document also requires the establishment of an information sharing mechanism for major cyber projects and unified national standards to reduce the burden for companies and to improve the country’s overall cybersecurity.

According to an online survey by the Internet Society of China in June, 54 percent of respondents said they believed there was rampant leaking of private information online, with 84 percent saying they had personally suffered from information leaks.

The economic losses incurred by online fraud and the leaking of private information in China totaled 91.5 billion yuan from the second half of 2015 to the first half of this year. 

The Wall Street Journal reports that China is taking a more inclusive tack in instituting its cybersecurity standards by inviting foreign technology companies to join the Chinese government committee charged with setting these standards. According to the report, Microsoft, Cisco, IBM and Intel will be taking an active part in drafting the regulations.