The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on 12 December blacklisted Chinese telecommunications giant huawei as a possible threat to U.S. national security, the same day a Washington court ruled that Chinese smartphone Xiaomi was temporarily removed from the list.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission ruled 12 days ago that Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Group, like ZTE Group and other telecommunications equipment companies, poses an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security. The Chinese telecommunications companies included in the same blacklist, in addition to Huawei and ZTE, include Hainanda Communications Co.
The acting chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, appointed after the Biden administration took office, noted in a communique on Dec. 12 that Americans are increasingly going online, to work, school or medical appointments. It is important to be able to have confidence in reliable and secure communication devices. The chief said the list is meant to point the way so that the nation’s next-generation networks, which are under construction, do not repeat the mistakes of the past and do not use devices or services that pose a threat to U.S. national security or the safety of Americans.
The decision shows that the Biden Administration is continuing the Trump-era strategy of blocking Chinese telecom companies such as Huawei. China’s hopes that Trump-era policies will be relaxed with the Biden administration in office are, at least for now, unlikely to materialize.
Huawei Group has been embroiled in a swirl of U.S.-China technology competition in recent years. The Trump Administration suspects Huawei may have helped the Chinese government steal intelligence, but has never been able to provide any evidence. Since 2019, the Trump administration has blacklisted Huawei and banned U.S. companies from supplying Huawei with various essential U.S. technology products such as semiconductors. The Trump administration has also simultaneously called on its allies to follow its policies.
Ren Zhengfei, founder of Huawei Group, called on the Biden administration to pursue an open-door policy back in February.
On the same day, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, also blacklisted by the Trump administration as a telecommunications company, was temporarily removed from the blacklist by a Washington court ruling that suspended a ban on U.S. investors buying shares in the group. The judge who issued the ruling found that the previous administration’s defense and treasury secretaries, who blacklisted Xiaomi, had failed to prove that the stated national security reasons were valid.
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