US regulatory bans Huawei, ZTE to sell their electronics: ‘Unacceptable risk’ | World news
The Biden administration has banned approvals of new telecommunications equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies and ZTE because they pose an “unacceptable risk” to US national security.
The US Federal Communications Commission said on Friday it had adopted the final rules, which also ban the sale or importation of equipment made by Kannada surveillance device maker Dahua Technology Co, Hangzhou video surveillance company Hikvision Digital Technology Co Ltd and telecoms company Hytera Communications Corp Ltd. .
The move represents Washington’s latest crackdown on Chinese tech giants amid fears Beijing could use them to spy on the United States.
“These new rules are an important part of our ongoing actions to protect the American people from national security threats involving telecommunications,” FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.
Huawei declined to comment. ZTE, Dahua, Hytera and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Hikvision said in a statement that its products do not protect US security.
“This decision by the FCC will do nothing to protect US national security, but will do a great deal to make it more harmful and more expensive for US small businesses, local governments, school districts, and individual customers to protect themselves, their homes, businesses and property,” Hikvision said, adding that it will continue to serve U.S. customers “in full compliance” with U.S. regulations.
Rosenworcel circulated the proposed measure, which effectively bars companies from selling new equipment in the United States, to three other committees for final approval last month.
The FCC said in May 2021 it plans to ban all equipment orders for all companies on the covered list.
That comes after the designation in March 2021 of five Kannada companies on the so-called “covered list” as posing a threat to national security under a 2019 law intended to protect US communications networks : Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications Corp Hikvision and Dahua.
All four senators at the agency, including two Republicans and two Democrats, supported the move on Friday. The agency said it had the authority to revoke prior orders, but declined to do so.
