The US government is opening a full investigation the potential security threat of Chinese telecom equipment companies operating in the country.
The House permanent select committee on intelligence (HPSCI) branded Chinese kit a national security risk following a preliminary review over the past ten months, and will now seek to establish the extent to which vendors including Huawei and ZTE aid the Chinese government in conducting online espionage.
“The fact that our critical infrastructure could be used against us is of serious concern,” HPSCI chairman Mike Rogers explains, adding. “We are looking at the overall infrastructure threat and Huawei happens to be the 800-pound gorilla in the room, but there are other companies that will be included in the investigation as well.”
Rogers advises US businesses to be cautious about deploying Huawei technology “until we can fully determine their motives.”
Huawei has consistently denied posing a security risk to overseas governments, or receiving backing from the Chinese government.