Huawei, ZTE Auction, Imports Banned in US After Listed as Threats by FCC

US authorities announced a ban on Friday the import or sale of telecommunications equipment deemed an “unacceptable risk to national security” – including gear from Chinese firms Huawei Technologies and ZTE.

Both companies were on the list of companies threatened by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the new rules prevent the future approval of their equipment.

The move is the latest in a series of moves to limit Chinese telecom companies’ access to networks in the United States, and comes amid long-running disagreements between the world’s two largest economies.

US officials have shown growing wariness in recent years of Chinese telecommunications and technology companies.

“The FCC is committed to protecting our national security by ensuring that untrusted communications equipment is not authorized for use within our borders,” commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.

He added that these new laws are part of the ongoing work to monitor security threats.

The order also affects companies including video surveillance equipment companies Hangzhou Hikvision and Dahua Technology.

The FCC said Friday it wanted comment on future action regarding the existing authorization.

Previously, Washington had banned Huawei from supplying US government programs and strictly prohibited the use of its equipment in the private sector, fearing that Huawei’s equipment could be compromised by China’s intelligence.

In 2019, it put Huawei on a trade embargo list that barred American suppliers from doing business with it, cutting the Chinese company — also a leading smartphone brand — off the Android mobile operating system.

The US has cited national security fears and restricted the operations of China’s three largest state-owned mobile phone companies.