Trump could sign order banning Chinese telecom equipment
President Donald Trump is said to be considering signing an executive order that will ban Chinese telecom equipment next week.
Ahead of a major industry conference this month, the White House is set to stress its commitment to telecom security and protection of cyber threats, Politco reported on Friday.
“There’s a big push to get it out before MWC [Mobile World Conference],” an anonymous industry source said.
The order could put strain on an already tense relationship with China, especially now that Trump announced the summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping would not take place this month.
The US government has claimed that Chinese telecom giants Huawei and ZTE posed a threat to the country’s cyber security and accused the companies of theft of intellectual property and cyber espionage.
Recently tensions between both countries regarding Chinese telecoms were ramped up as the Department of Justice unsealed a suite of charges against Huawei’s CFO who faces extradition to the US for violating sanctions on Iran.