The U.S. government banned equipment from five Chinese companies, including Huawei and ZTE, due to national security risks

Profile photo Shoppers walk past a Huawei store in Beijing. (26 August 2021)

The Biden administration banned the approval of new telecommunications equipment from China’s Huawei and ZTE because they posed an “unacceptable risk” to U.S. national security.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Friday (Nov. 25) that the agency passed the final rule. The final rules also prohibit the sale or import of equipment made by Dahua, a Chinese surveillance equipment manufacturing company, Hangzhou Hikvision, a video surveillance company, and Hytera, a telecommunications company.

The move represents Washington’s latest crackdown on China’s tech giants. Washington fears that Beijing could use Chinese tech companies to target Americans for espionage.

FCC President Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement: “These new rules are part of our ongoing campaign to protect the American people from national security threats involving telecommunications.

Reuters reported that Huawei declined to comment. Dahua, Hikvision, and Hytera have not responded to requests for comment.

Last month, Rosenworth circulated the proposed proposal among the other three commissioners for final approval. The measure effectively prohibits these Chinese companies from selling new equipment in the United States.

The FCC had said in June 2021 that it was considering a ban on approving all devices from all companies included in the “covered list.”

Before that, five Chinese companies were added to the “covered list” that were determined to pose a threat to national security under a law designed to protect U.S. telecommunications networks. The five companies are Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua.

All four members of the FCC, including two Republicans and two Democrats, supported Friday’s move.

(This article is based on a Reuters report.)