The Chinese government has reportedly ordered state officials to stop using foreign-branded devices for work or bring them into the office.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Apple is the main target of the directive which was given from superiors to staff in workplace chat groups and meetings. The steps are being taken, the report says, in an effort to stem the outflow of sensitive information flowing out of China’s borders.

It remains unclear how widely the orders have been distributed, but the report notes that similar messages were given to staff at some central government regulators.

The move echoes similar measures taken by the US government, which itself has barred employees from using devices and services from Chinese companies such as Huawei and ByteDance’s TikTok.

This is not the first anti-US tech measure enacted by the Chinese government, with Beijing previously restricting government officials from using iPhones for work. However, this latest series of messaging to staff would indicate that the country is taking more steps to ensure such bans are enforced.

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