U.S. House Committee Targets Chinese Telecom Giants with Subpoenas

The House Select Committee on China has issued subpoenas to three Chinese telecom companies for failing to provide requested information. The action is part of an investigation into potential national security threats posed by these state-owned firms, which are suspected of operating through non-traditional means in the U.S.

The House Select Committee on China has issued subpoenas to three major Chinese state-owned telecommunications companies—China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom—after they failed to respond to a bipartisan request for information dated March 4.

These subpoenas are part of an ongoing congressional inquiry aimed at determining whether these firms continue to operate in the United States in ways that could jeopardize national security and compromise American data privacy. The companies are required to comply by May 7, 2025.

Despite a Federal Communications Commission ban on all three firms from providing licensed telecom services in the U.S., there are growing concerns that they may still be operating through alternative means, such as equipment, software, or cloud services. Committee Chairman John Moolenaar has expressed significant concern about these activities, emphasizing their ties to the Chinese Communist Party as a potential threat to U.S. security infrastructure.

He stated, 'These companies were blocked from U.S. networks because of their direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The American people deserve to know if Beijing is quietly using state-owned firms to infiltrate our critical infrastructure.'

Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi echoed these sentiments, highlighting the companies' disregard for a lawful congressional investigation and emphasizing the need for full compliance, 'China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom don't just threaten U.S. national security—they've also blatantly defied a lawful congressional investigation. With these bipartisan subpoenas, they now face a clear choice: comply with the law or face the consequences.'

As the Committee investigates whether the companies are operating Points of Presence (PoPs), data centers, or cloud operations in the U.S., this move reflects an increasing bipartisan consensus on the risks posed by foreign-state-controlled enterprises, particularly those with links to intelligence services.

(With inputs from agencies.)