Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Chinese government has officially\nbanned the use of OpenClaw software within government agencies and\nstate-owned enterprises. According to Bloomberg News, government\nagencies and state-owned enterprises, including major Chinese banks,\nhave received warnings not to install OpenClaw on office devices citing\nnational security concerns.<\/p>\n
OpenClaw is an artificial intelligence agent founded by Peter\nSteinberger, an Austrian entrepreneur. On 14 February 2026, Steinberger\nannounced joining OpenAI to bring advanced AI agents to everyone,\nstating that OpenClaw would remain an independent company.<\/p>\n
OpenClaw went viral for providing open-source AI designed to perform\nreal tasks, rather than simply answering text-based user prompts. It can\nbe used to manage emails, book tickets, schedule appointments, monitor\nmessages, and automate various other tasks. The service uses large\nlanguage models (LLMs) that can be installed independently due to their\nopen-source nature.<\/p>\n
With its advanced capabilities, OpenClaw effectively allows one\nperson to perform the work of several simultaneously, giving rise to the\nphenomenon of \u201cone-person companies\u201d. This characteristic has prompted\nsome local Chinese governments to announce measures to develop\nindustries around OpenClaw, although regulators have warned of security\nrisks associated with access to personal data.<\/p>\n
Since its emergence in November 2025, OpenClaw has become one of the\nfastest-growing projects in GitHub history, the world\u2019s most widely\nadopted AI-based developer platform. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was reported\nto have hired Steinberger to build the next generation of AI agents\npartly due to OpenClaw\u2019s innovation.<\/p>\n
OpenClaw\u2019s popularity has been most rapid in China, given the\ncountry\u2019s tendency to adopt cutting-edge technology quickly. Technology\ngiant Tencent recently held a special OpenClaw session in Shenzhen that\nattracted considerable enthusiasm from children, retirees, and\ndevelopers.<\/p>\n
Longgang District in Shenzhen, which established China\u2019s first AI and\nrobotics bureau last year, released concrete policy proposals in early\nMarch to build an AI ecosystem centred on OpenClaw and support\n\u201cone-person companies\u201d, citing recent central government reports\nsupporting future industries such as humanoid robots.<\/p>\n
High-tech development zones in Wuxi and Hefei in eastern China, along\nwith Suzhou, a major manufacturing city, all published similar policy\nproposals focused on OpenClaw in recent days.<\/p>\n
The rising popularity of OpenClaw and \u201cone-person companies\u201d has been\nhighlighted in the National People\u2019s Congress (NPC). Zhang Xiaohong, a\ndelegate from Jiangsu Province and Communist Party secretary of Soochow\nUniversity, told Reuters that initiatives such as campus competitions to\nidentify the best \u201cone-person companies\u201d created by students have\npromoted practical AI skills.<\/p>\n
However, regulators and state media have highlighted security\nconcerns surrounding the agent. The central government has underscored\nBeijing\u2019s longstanding discomfort with cyber risks and data\nbreaches.<\/p>\n
Wuxi\u2019s regulations stipulate that cloud platforms providing OpenClaw\nmust prohibit access to sensitive data directories and should consider\nestablishing AI compliance service centres focusing on issues such as\ncross-border data transfer and intellectual property protection.<\/p>\n
Despite the earlier enthusiasm, the central government\u2019s decision to\nban OpenClaw from government and state-owned enterprise environments\nagain demonstrates China\u2019s consistent tendency to view Western\napplications with suspicion, particularly regarding privacy and national\nsecurity.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/chinas-crackdown-xi-jinping-bans-western-made-applications-1773226326", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }