U.S. Lawmakers Question Chinese Telecom Firms Over Military and Government Ties

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has called on major Chinese telecom companies to disclose any connections to the Chinese military and government, citing potential national security risks posed by their presence in the United States.

Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on China, and Republican Chair John Moolenaar have sent formal letters to China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, demanding responses to a series of questions by March 31, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.

The lawmakers raised concerns that the firms could be exploiting access to American data through U.S.-based cloud and internet services, potentially sharing it with Beijing. Citing a 2024 Reuters report, they pointed to an ongoing Commerce Department investigation into these activities.

In one of the letters, the lawmakers warned that China Telecom’s ongoing U.S. operations, particularly in internet backbone exchanges and cloud computing, could facilitate unauthorized data access, espionage, or sabotage by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They also noted the company’s documented links to Chinese intelligence agencies, raising urgent national security concerns given China’s aggressive cyber activities targeting U.S. telecommunications.

The letters also referenced previous Chinese cyberattacks, including Salt Typhoon, which compromised sensitive data of millions of Americans, and Volt Typhoon, an ongoing cyber-espionage campaign linked to China’s Ministry of State Security. While Beijing has denied involvement, the FBI has described Volt Typhoon as China’s most significant cyber-espionage operation in history.

China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom have faced years of scrutiny from U.S. regulators. In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rejected China Mobile’s application to provide telecom services in the U.S. The agency later revoked operating licenses for China Telecom (2021) and China Unicom (2022) over similar concerns.

In April 2024, the FCC expanded restrictions, moving to bar these firms from offering broadband services under new net neutrality rules. However, a court ruling has since blocked those regulations from taking effect. Despite these measures, the lawmakers warned that Chinese telecom companies continue to operate in the U.S. cloud services sector and route wholesale internet traffic, potentially allowing access to American consumer data.

The three companies have yet to respond to requests for comment.

Input From Reuters.