U.S. legislators’ probe into Huawei and ZTE is likely to
assist these two Chinese telecom firms to prove their points to the entire
telecom world.
The U.S. House intelligence committee’s probe is happening
amid growing concerns over cyber espionage. The investigation would look into
whether the expansion of these firms in the U.S. posed a security threat.
Both Huawei and ZTE can prove themselves if the U.S. House
intelligence committee gives a clean chit to them. The result of the U.S. probe
can also become a benchmark for the telecom industry.
In several countries including the Middle East and India,
Huawei and ZTE are facing issues due to their Chinese connection.
China’s foreign ministry called on the U.S. not to
politicize economic and trade cooperation after the U.S. government announced
the probe.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Liu Weimin said, “It is
beneficial for both Chinese companies and the U.S. government in terms of
strengthening economic and trade cooperation, which is also good for creating
more jobs for Americans.”
“The probe will focus on whether the companies’ presence provides the
Chinese government an opportunity for greater foreign espionage’ and imperils
the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure,” said Mike Rogers, chairman of
the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, in a news release
Thursday in Washington.
The probe will examine how Chinese firms are supplying components of U.S.
telecommunications systems and the security threats that activity may pose. The
committee has already taken an initial look at the issue, including briefings
and interviews with intelligence officials, according to the WSJ.
“Huawei welcomes an open and fair investigation,” said William
Plummer, a Washington-based spokesman of Huawei.
Plummer stressed the company’s equipment was used by 90 percent of the top 50
telecommunications service providers globally and that there had been zero
security incidents.
ZTE said in a statement that “we are confident a fair
review will further demonstrate that ZTE is a law-abiding partner for all U.S.
carriers and their customers.”
Huawei, founded by ex-Chinese army officer Ren Zhengfei, has
previously had U.S. deals blocked on
security fears.
There have been fears about its links with the Chinese
military and allegations of financial support from the Chinese government. That
prompted the Chinese technology giant to write an open letter to the U.S.
authorities earlier this year asking them to conduct a probe into its
operations and settle the issues, according to a report in BBC.
The investigation comes after a U.S. intelligence report
earlier this month accused China and Russia of using cyber-espionage to steal
trade and technology secrets. The report said that the industries facing the
most threat included information technology and the pharmaceutical sector.
By Telecomlead.com Team
editor@telecomlead.com