The arrest by the Canadian government of Chinese tech company Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou has put a new spotlight on that company and the U.S. government's national security issues with having such technology be part of critical communications networks.
“There is ample evidence to suggest that no major Chinese company is independent of the Chinese government and Communist Party – and Huawei, which China’s government and military tout as a ‘national champion,’ is no exception," said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) in a statement on the arrest. "It has been clear for some time that Huawei, like ZTE, poses a threat to our national security. Now we know that Huawei, like ZTE, has violated U.S. sanctions law. It's my hope that the Trump Administration will hold Huawei fully accountable for breaking sanctions law, as it failed to do in the case of ZTE."
Warner is vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
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The Trump Administration rescinded a ban on U.S. tech supplies to ZTE after the President met with his Chinese counterpart.
"I continue to strongly urge our close ally Canada to reconsider Huawei’s inclusion in any aspect of its 5G infrastructure," said Warner.
Back in October, Warner teamed with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) another strong critic of Huawei and ZTE, on a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging that exclusion.
He also pushed for a law setting in stone the conditions Huawei agreed to in order to secure the Trump administrations removal of the U.S. export ban.
“Yesterday’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou underscores a troubling trend of Chinese companies and state actors flouting the rule of law and stealing from U.S. companies," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). "Ms. Wanzhou’s arrest comes on the heels of the October arrest of Yanjun Xu, an operative for the Chinese Ministry of State who allegedly targeted GE Aviation and other companies to recruit their employees in order to steal trade secrets. Two Chinese intelligence officers and a team of hackers were also charged in October in a separate case involving theft of commercial aviation technology. In November, the Justice Department announced charges against a Chinese state-owned enterprise for stealing trade secrets of an American semiconductor company."
