The U.S. has banned electronics from Huawei and several other Chinese companies from being sold or imported, a decisive step to contain the influence of companies already deemed national security threats that may be spying for China.
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday closed a “loophole” that allowed U.S. companies to purchase electronic equipment from companies, including Huawei, that the U.S. government has deemed too risky to buy from itself, FCC commissioner Brendan Carr announced.
It’s the government’s strongest move yet against Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications giant whose equipment has spread around the globe in the race to provide 5G cellular service. U.S. officials have for years warned that Huawei’s equipment could effectively be a spying tool of the Chinese Communist Party.
The FCC banned the U.S. government from purchasing Huawei and other companies’ equipment in 2019. Since then, the European Union has moved to restrict Chinese telecom equipment, and Huawei and ZTE have been banned in Australia and Canada. The U.K. has a deadline to remove all Huawei equipment by 2028, according to Reuters.
