WASHINGTON: In light of the worsening relations between the United States and China, Washington labeled Chinese technology companies, including Huaweias national safety threats.
“Federal Communications Commission (US) Public security and Homeland Security Bureau today released a list of communications equipment and services that were considered a threat to national security … The list includes five Chinese companies that produce telecommunication equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to US national security or the safety and protection of US people, “the FCC said in a statement on Friday.
President Joe Biden can continue his predecessor’s tough line against China’s growing technological dominance. The companies include Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, along with ZTE, Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and Dahua Technology.
“This list is a big step towards renewing confidence in our communication networks. Americans are relying on our networks more than ever to work, go to school or have access to health care, and we need to trust that these communications are safe and secure “, FCC Acting President Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.
“This list provides meaningful guidance that will ensure that, as next generation networks are built across the country, they do not repeat past mistakes or use equipment or services that pose a threat to US national security or the security and protection of Americans, “she added.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the designation came on top of a series of moves Washington made against Huawei during the Trump administration, including a ban on American companies from using the company’s technology to build networks without wire and put the company on a list of entities that prevents it from acquiring US technology without government approval. Last December, Congress approved a $ 1.9 billion fund to pay operators to “remove and replace” Huawei and ZTE equipment from US networks.
The United States is also seeking Canada’s extradition of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, on charges related to electronic fraud – a major source of tension between the U.S. and Chinese governments.
At a meeting earlier this month, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the government was “concerned about the dangers of installing networks with equipment that can be manipulated, interrupted or even controlled by the People’s Republic of China, which, as we know, of course, it has no regard for human rights or privacy. ”
5G also topped the agenda for a multilateral meeting held on Friday between leaders from the US, Japan, India and Australia – an alliance known as Quad.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday that restrictions on Huawei suppliers show once again that the United States is “an unreliable country with zero credibility”, adding that Washington “must immediately stop oppressing. Chinese companies and treat them fairly and not. – discriminatory way. ”
Earlier this month, a US official said the Biden government must form a task force to deal with major cyber intrusions that Microsoft said this week that they are linked to China, as relations between the two – Washington and Beijing – continue to fall.
CNN, citing the US official, reported that there are about 30,000 affected customers in the U.S. and 250,000 worldwide, although those numbers are expected to increase. However, the White House declined to comment on the number of victims affected.
In February, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) warned that efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to obtain US health data, particularly DNA, through hackers, increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to The Hill, the agency noted that these efforts increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, with Chinese biotechnology group BGI offering Covid-19 test kits to most countries and establishing 18 test labs in the past few years alone. six months, reportedly as part of an effort to obtain health data.
The NCSC wrote that US health data was an attractive target for the Chinese government due to the diversity of the population and the country’s comparatively lax safeguards for personal data.
Under the Trump administration, ties between the two countries have deteriorated due to issues such as human rights violations in Xinjiang, usurpation of Hong Kong’s special status, accusations of unfair commercial practices by Beijing, lack of transparency in relation to the pandemic and China’s military aggression in various parts of the world.
