Press Releases
Rogers and Ruppersberger Intensify Investigation of Huawei and ZTE
Washington, DC,
June 13, 2012
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Tom Corcoran
((202) 225-4121)
Rogers and Ruppersberger Intensify Investigation of Huawei and ZTE Chairman Mike Rogers and Ranking Member C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger of the House Intelligence Committee stepped up the Committee’s investigation into the Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE. Members of the Committee recently returned from a trip overseas where they met face to face with leaders of both companies. To follow-up on those discussions, today the Committee released letters requesting further information and documents from the companies. The Committee launched the investigation to review the threat posed to U.S. national security interests by telecommunications companies with potential ties to the Chinese government. Committee investigators have twice traveled to Shenzhen, China. Those investigators continue to probe the companies’ activities in the United States and comprehensively review the potential risk to U.S. infrastructure. The detailed questions and document requests in the letters seek greater information about the companies’ history, strategy, connections to the government of China and the Chinese Communist Party, and whether they can truly act as private companies. “I remain concerned about the national security threat posed by the potential expansion of Huawei and ZTE into our telecommunications infrastructure,” Chairman Rogers said. “I appreciate the cooperation from Huawei and ZTE thus far, and look forward to receiving more information about their activities as well as the influence of the Chinese government in their operations. We must get to the bottom of these issues before the companies have further access to our market. I trust both Huawei and ZTE will respond fully and completely in a timely fashion.” Ranking Member Ruppersberger said that “Members of the Committee and I recently traveled to Hong Kong where we meet with both Huawei and ZTE. We appreciated the candid discussion about the investigation and the opportunity for continued follow-up and dialogue. As I told these companies directly, the security of our telecommunications infrastructure and networks is one of my biggest concerns. While I appreciate the need for international competition, it is my responsibility to look critically at foreign companies, especially those whose government continues to conduct cyber espionage against US enterprises.” The letters can be found here: |