U.S. Lawmakers Raise Alarm Over Chinese Telecoms' Security Threats

U.S. House panel leaders are urging Chinese telecoms to detail ties to the Chinese military amid national security concerns. They worry about the companies' potential access to American data. Recent cyber incidents like Salt Typhoon have heightened these fears, leading to bipartisan scrutiny.

In a move reflecting increasing bipartisan concern, leaders of a U.S. House of Representatives panel have called upon major Chinese telecom companies to disclose potential ties to the Chinese military and government. They cited national security risks associated with these companies' operations in the United States.

Top Democrat Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi and Republican Committee Chair John Moolenaar expressed worries that firms like China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom could exploit their U.S. cloud and internet services to access American data for Beijing. This follows a Reuters report highlighting a Commerce Department investigation into such risks.

Recent high-profile cyber incidents, notably the Salt Typhoon hack impacting millions of Americans, have intensified these concerns. The FBI regards campaigns like Volt Typhoon as China’s most significant cyber-espionage efforts. Despite denials from Beijing, U.S. regulatory actions continue to scrutinize and restrict Chinese telecom operations.