National security at risk: USA bans new Huawei smartphones

Created: 11/26/2022, 09:41 am

By: Christina Denk

The United States accuses Huawei of close ties to Chinese authorities and fears espionage.

Now new Huawei and ZTE devices are to be banned from the US market.

Washington - "Unacceptable risk to national security": The US telecommunications regulator FCC sees a risk of espionage in Huawei and ZTE.

The logical step: The US government now bans the sale and import of Huawei devices.

Joe Biden is thus following the line of his predecessor Trump.

Other Chinese manufacturers are also affected.

However, the measure is not really unexpected.

USA bans new devices from Chinese manufacturers: "Huawei loophole" plugged

"Today, the FCC is taking an unprecedented step to protect our networks and strengthen America's national security," FCC Commissioner Brandon Carr wrote on Twitter.

As a result of the order, new devices from Huawei and ZTE will no longer be approved.

It is the first "time in FCC history" that new devices will be banned due to safety concerns.

Existing permits to China could also be revoked in the future.

Carr calls it the "Huawei loophole" that is now being closed.

The United States repeatedly accuses Huawei of having close ties to Chinese authorities and warns of espionage and sabotage.

The company denies the allegations.

USA bans new Huawei devices: Decision has been made since 2021

The decision comes as no surprise.

US President Joe Biden last year sealed the exclusion of Huawei and ZTE network technology from the US market by law, thus continuing the policy of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump in the economic crime with China.

The law had broad bipartisan support at the time.

The FCC now had to vote on the corresponding order within a year in order for it to be implemented.

There had already been discussions about excluding Huawei and ZTE in both Europe and the USA for the expansion of 5G.

USA bans Chinese devices: Three more companies affected by the order

In addition to Huawei and ZTE, the arrangement also affects devices from Hytera Communications as well as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and Dahua Technology.

"Even new devices from Dahua, Hikvision, or Hytera cannot be approved unless they assure the FCC that their devices will not be used for public safety, government security, or other national security purposes," Carr wrote to dem following the official decision of the FCC on Twitter.

Huawei and ZTE are already heavily affected by US sanctions.

Only in October had there been US lawsuits against 13 Chinese, which were related to secret Huawei papers, among other things.