Lawmakers Press Huawei, ZTE Amid Probe About Possible Threats to Security

Lawmakers investigating spying threats from China are pressing two Chinese telecommunications firms active in US markets for details about their relationship with the Chinese government and with US companies.

In letters sent to Huawei Technologies and ZTE, the top lawmakers on the House intelligence committee outlined concerns about the companies' ties with the Chinese government, including the role of a "party committee" at Huawei. The lawmakers also asked about Huawei's relationships with five U.S. consulting firms and requested an expansive collection of documents, including the contracts between the firms and Huawei as well as the results of the firms' consulting work for Huawei. Those firms include International Business Machines, Accenture, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Additional questions address work the two companies have done in Iran and their funding arrangements with the Chinese government. The requests, from Reps. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), provide an initial review of topics under investigation by the committee, which launched a probe late last year into possible threats posed to US national security by Chinese telecommunications firms seeking to do business in the US.