Reasons for caution

Han Weili, a data security expert and vice dean at Fudan University's Software School, urged caution, saying that China's homegrown operating systems are not necessarily more secure than their foreign alternatives, due to their developers' relatively weak research and development capabilities and the lack of a strong business ecosystem supporting them. "For example, many of China's operating systems lack a bug detecting mechanism," Han said.

"We know that a foreign operating system may offer back-door access to its government for surveillance or spying purposes. The situation with a Chinese operating system can be even worse if it is badly designed, because the flaws will enable not just one foreign government to access it, but many governments," Han said.

While the current government emphasis on data security is an opportunity for China's homegrown operating system developers, Han said security should not be their only focus. "What's most important is if the market welcomes it. For individual users, security is not their biggest concern. User experience, UI, hardware compatibility and the industry as a whole are more important in determining whether an operating system can succeed," he said.