US Lawmakers Target China's Telecom Industry In New Export Ban

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th December, 2018) House lawmakers are advancing a bill to ban US exports to Chinese telecommunication companies that violate sanctions, Congressman Mike Gallagher said in a press release.

"This bipartisan legislation sets a simple standard: If a Chinese telecommunications firm is found to have violated US sanctions moving forward, it will be subject to... severe punishment," Gallagher said on Tuesday.

The legislation comes in response to media reports that China's telecom giant Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on charges of violating US sanctions against Iran.

The Chinese firm has recently faced scrutiny, mainly in Western states.

On Thursday, European Commission's Vice-President Andrus Ansip said that foreign countries should be "worried" about Huawei and other Chinese tech giants as they were allegedly forced to cooperate with the Chinese intelligence services.

In mid-August, US President Donald Trump enacted legislation banning government agencies from using services from Huawei and ZTE, along other Chinese companies. This came after retail stores at US military bases were prohibited from selling Huawei and ZTE mobile phones over concerns that they "pose an unacceptable risk to the department's personnel, information and mission."