Security News > 2020 > July > China: US 'Oppressing Chinese Companies' in New Huawei Move
China on Wednesday demanded Washington stop "Oppressing Chinese companies" after U.S. regulators declared telecom equipment suppliers Huawei and ZTE to be national security threats.
"We once again urge the United States to stop abusing the concept of national security, deliberately discrediting China and unreasonably oppressing Chinese companies," said the spokesman, Zhao Lijian.
U.S. regulators say Huawei Technologies Ltd., the biggest global maker of telecom switching equipment, and its smaller Chinese rival ZTE Corp. are controlled by the ruling Communist Party and say they might facilitate Chinese spying.
Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei, said last year he would refuse official demands to reveal its customers' secrets despite a law that obliges Chinese companies to cooperate with intelligence agencies.
The decision affects mostly small, rural carriers because major U.S. phone companies don't use Chinese equipment.