The Biden administration has banned the approval of new telecommunications equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies and ZTE because they pose an “unacceptable risk” to US national security.
The US Federal Communications Commission said on Friday it had passed final rules, which also ban the sale or import of equipment made by Chinese surveillance equipment maker Dahua Technology, video surveillance company Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and telecom company Hytera Communications.
The move represents Washington’s latest crackdown on the Chinese tech giants amid fears Beijing could use Chinese tech companies to spy on Americans.
“These new rules are an important part of our ongoing actions to protect the American people from national security threats related to telecommunications,” FCC President Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.
Huawei declined to comment. ZTE, Dahua, Hikvision and Hytera did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rosenworcel circulated the proposed measure, which effectively prevents the companies from selling new equipment in the United States, to the other three commissioners for final approval last month.
The FCC said in June 2021 that it was considering banning all equipment authorizations for all companies on the covered list.
That came after a designation in March 2021 of five Chinese companies on the so-called “covered list” as a threat to national security under a 2019 law aimed at protecting U.S. communications networks: Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications Corp. Hikvision and Dahua.
All four bureau commissioners, including two Republicans and two Democrats, supported Friday’s move.
