A US Congressional intelligence committee has advised American companies not to seek the services of or do business with two Chinese telecom giants - Huawei and ZTE.
Following an investigative report on the functioning of these two Chinese telecom companies, the Chairman and Ranking members of the House Intelligence Committee respectively Mike Rogers and C A Dutch Ruppersberger said that these firms pose national security interest to the United States.
The 60-page report encourages US companies to take into account the long-term security risks associated with either company providing equipment or services to telecommunications infrastructure.
Additionally, the report recommends that US government systems, particularly sensitive systems, exclude Huawei or ZTE equipment or component parts.
"We have to be certain that Chinese telecommunication companies working in the United States can be trusted with access to our critical infrastructure," Rogers said.
"Any bug, beacon, or backdoor put into our critical systems could allow for a catastrophic and devastating domino effect of failures throughout our networks.
"As this report shows, we have serious concerns about Huawei and ZTE, and their connection to the communist government of China.
"China is known to be the major perpetrator of cyber espionage, and Huawei and ZTE failed to alleviate serious concerns throughout this important investigation. American businesses should use other vendors," he said.
Ruppersberger added: "As this report shows, we have serious concerns about Huawei and ZTE, two Chinese telecommunications companies looking to gain market share in the United States, and their connection to the communist government of China.
"We warn US government agencies and companies considering using Huawei and ZTE equipment in their networks to take into account the affect if could have on our national security."
