Certificate clears way for cloud service providers

The certification will, however, not block the cloud services provided by overseas companies. Most of the international vendors such as Microsoft Corp, IBM Corp and Amazon Web Services Inc did not apply for the certificate.

Foreign companies are required to form joint ventures with local cloud companies to bring public cloud services to the Chinese mainland, according to government regulations.

The latest partnership came on Monday when the US-based cloud and virtualization software provider VMware Inc inked a deal with China Telecom Corp to offer hybrid cloud services in China. The service will be operational by 2015, the companies said.

China Telecom is a government authenticated cloud provider in the country.

The ministry said it will constantly update the "trusted cloud" list to ensure that cloud services adhere to safety and performance requirements. The next round authentication will be next month.