Alibaba Bans Claude Code in China After Anthropic Tracking-Code Scandal

In July 2026, Alibaba sent employees an internal order to remove Anthropic's AI coding assistant Claude Code from their work computers. The order followed a 8 July 2026 statement from China's National Vulnerability Database, which called a backdoor the code that, since April 2026, had begun identifying Chinese users.

Why Claude Code was banned

The trigger was a tracking code: in April 2026, Anthropic added a mechanism to Claude Code that identifies Chinese users. On 8 July 2026, China's National Vulnerability Database (CNNVD) publicly warned about a "backdoor" in the tool. Alibaba then issued an internal order to remove Claude from employees' machines and to promote its own alternative, Qoder.

Anthropic said it has rolled back the tracking code. Company engineer Thariq Shihipar confirmed it was an experiment, not a permanent feature. The incident unfolds against the backdrop of the US-China technology decoupling, where even a developer tool becomes a national security issue.

• April 2026 — Anthropic adds code to Claude Code that identifies Chinese users
• 8 July 2026 — China's National Vulnerability Database warns of a backdoor
• Alibaba sends out an internal ban and promotes its own Qoder
• Qoder holds 47.6% of China's AI coding market (IDC data via Leiphone)
• A Zhihu thread about the ban drew 1.6 million views and 315 replies

What replaces it in China

Chinese tech giants offer their own AI coders in place of Claude Code. The leader is Alibaba's Qoder, with a 47.6% share of China's AI programming assistant market, according to IDC (via Leiphone). It competes with ByteDance's MarsCode, Tencent's Code Buddy, and Baidu's Comate.

For Chinese companies, in-house tools are also a way to reduce dependence on American software. The ban provoked a heated reaction in the tech community: a Zhihu thread about Alibaba's decision drew 1.6 million views and 315 replies.

Why are developers in no hurry to leave?

Chinese developers prefer Claude Code to homegrown alternatives, and corporate bans do not always stop personal use. A survey of Shanghai's tech scene conducted by Afra Wang in January 2026 found that developers work almost exclusively with Claude Code, Antigravity, Codex, and Cursor, with Claude mentioned more often than the others.

One popular Zhihu post (1472 votes) predicted a rapid abandonment of the tool, arguing that domestic models are making significant progress.

"By next

Monday, all of China's leading tech companies will ban Claude Code," — forecast from Zhihu user Morgan.

Analyst Jeffrey Ding, author of the ChinAI newsletter, disputes this forecast: by his observation, actual use of Claude Code has not stopped across the board. The weakness of in-house tools is that they improve only under the pressure of a forced switch — without real users, quality grows slowly.

What this means

The Claude Code ban shows how geopolitics is intruding on developers' everyday tools. A formal corporate ban does not equal an actual switch: as long as Chinese alternatives are still catching up on quality, developers will keep reaching for the best tool, even against orders.

FAQ

What is Qoder?

Qoder is Alibaba's Chinese AI programming assistant, which the company is promoting as a replacement for Claude Code. According to IDC (via Leiphone), it holds 47.6% of China's AI coding market.

Why did Anthropic roll back the tracking code?

Anthropic described the code as an experiment: company engineer Thariq Shihipar confirmed that the mechanism for identifying Chinese users was not a permanent feature, and the company announced its rollback.

What Chinese alternatives to Claude Code exist?

Besides Alibaba's Qoder, the market includes ByteDance's MarsCode, Tencent's Code Buddy, and Baidu's Comate.