The US government has announced a new ban on approving new telecommunications equipment from a number of Chinese firms including Huawei Technologies and ZTE.

The Biden administration said that the imported technologies present “an unacceptable risk", with the measures building on Sino-scepticism from the previous administration which led a campaign against the Chinese tech firms.

The US ​​Federal Communications Commission (FTC) has adopted the rules which also bans the import of equipment from surveillance tech makers Dahua Technology Co and Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co, along with telco Hytera Communications Corp.

FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel, who circulated the proposed measures to the other three commissioners for final approval last month, said: “These new rules are an important part of our ongoing actions to protect the American people from national security threats involving telecommunications.”

Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications Corp Hikvision and Dahua had previously been added to the ‘covered list’ in March 2021 which designated them as posing a threat to national security, but they were allowed to continue selling products in the US. Currently authorised products from the vendors will be permitted to remain on sale.

While Huawei, ZTE Hytera and the Chinese embassy in Washington are yet to comment, Hikvision issued a statement that its products do not threaten US security. The company said: "This decision by the FCC will do nothing to protect US national security, but will do a great deal to make it more harmful and more expensive for US small businesses, local authorities, school districts, and individual consumers to protect themselves, their homes, businesses and property."

Dahua criticised the FCC for going ‘far beyond’ its statutory authority and emphasised that it will continue to sell authorised products and obtain new authorisations for products not being marketed for public safety, government facilities, critical infrastructure or national security. It said: "Given that Dahua’s products are not currently marketed for those purposes..., we are reasonably confident that this Order will allow us to continue to serve most of our US customers for years to come.”

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