Kaspersky in Beijing declines to comment on exclusion from approved supplier list

BEIJING, August 4 (Itar-Tass) - Russian cyber security company Kaspersky Lab in Beijing has declined to comment on its exclusion from a list of approved anti-virus software vendors in China. “The situation is not clear yet. We are waiting for further developments,” a spokesman for Kaspersky’s office in Beijing said on Monday. The state-controlled People's Daily reported the news early on Sunday on its English Twitter feed, saying the government's procurement agency had excluded U.S.-based Symantec Corp (SYMC.O) and Russia's Kaspersky from a list of security software suppliers. A second tweet said the government procurement office had approved the use of five anti-virus software brands, all from China. These are Qihoo 360 Technology Co, Venustech, CAJinchen, Beijing Jiangmin and Rising. Kaspersky Lab, Europe's leading developer of secure content and threat management solutions, is investigating and speaking with Chinese authorities on the matter, the company’s Moscow press office said on Monday. It is premature to go into more details at this time, it said. Kaspersky's exclusion comes after 11 years of company activity in China. In 2009, chief executive officer and co-founder Eugene Kaspersky received the National Friendship Award of China for his outstanding contribution to the country's computer security industry. Learn more on itar-tass.com