US China Bashing Hits New High With Telecoms Probe 华为中兴应巧选时机应对调查
China-basing has become an unusually major theme in the current US election season, with rhetoric hitting a new high as politicians launch yet another anti-China investigation, this time targeting 2 of the nation’s most prominent exporters, Huawei Technologies and ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen 000063). Telecoms headlines were buzzing loudly late last week with word of the investigation, which was launched by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to examine potential threats to national security posed by US-based telecoms networks built by Chinese companies. (English article) This very same concern was put forward by India a couple of years ago, resulting in a temporary ban of the import of Chinese telecoms equipment into the country. After months of talks, which reportedly saw Huawei and ZTE reveal their source codes to the Indian government, both companies were allowed to resume selling their products in the country. Furthermore, if Huawei and ZTE products really do pose such a threat, then most of Europe is now at major risk of Chinese telecoms spying, since telcos in most of its countries now count Huawei and ZTE as 2 of their major telecoms equipment suppliers. Of course, all this talk in the US is nothing new, especially in an election season when politicians have nothing to lose by sounding a tough anti-China note. Politicians in the House of Representatives have already launched anti-dumping probes into Chinese solar cell makers and passed legislation that would punish China as a currency manipulator in the last few months (previous post), and the Obama administration itself also recently denied Huawei permission to bid on contracts to upgrade government-run networks meant for use in emergencies. (previous post) Huawei’s US spokesman took a prudent approach to this latest investigation, saying it was natural for the US to reassure itself of national security on such sensitive matters. If Huawei and ZTE are smart, they will put their US campaigns on hold until after the election and let Beijing issue the periodic statement expressing outrage and disappointment at all the latest unnecessary but politically-motivated anti-China rhetoric.
Bottom line: A new US investigation into security threats posed by Huawei and ZTE is the latest in a string of anti-China campaigns that will continue until the 2012 presidential election.
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