The United States is keeping a closer eye on China. The US is looking into China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom for possible espionage, according to Reuters.
Reuters reports that this investigation is taking on behind closed doors without any confirmation. Recently, the US increased its monitoring of China by imposing several tariffs on particular Chinese exports. Even though AI has been the focus of US scrutiny towards China, similar levies are currently in place. The businesses are charged with exchanging American data with Beijing by abusing their access to it.
The three businesses have been targeted by the US for a long time. Authorities in charge of regulations rejected China Mobile’s application in 2019 and the applications of the other two businesses in 2021 and 2022, respectively, to offer phone service. Afterwards, the businesses were prohibited from offering broadband service. ‘Serious national security and law enforcement risks’ are implicated, say the regulators. Examiners are also looking into the cloud services provided by the companies.
Nine instances of China Telecom misrouting internet traffic across China were identified by the government agencies. Because of this, there is a chance that the US will be intercepted and influenced. The government’s accusations have been refuted by China Telecom, which claims that routing issues are not deliberate.
The Chinese embassy in Washington has expressed worry about the increasing scrutiny coming from the US. Premier Li Qiang of China retaliated against accusations made by the US and the EU that Chinese companies “flood” international markets with low-cost goods and profit from unfair subsidies. He made these remarks during his speech at the Dalian World Economic Forum.
In his opening remarks, he stated that “China’s production of advanced electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products, first met out domestic demand, but also enrich global supply.” “Our own distinct comparative advantages are the foundation for the explosive growth of China’s new industries,” he continued.
