WASHINGTON, Nov 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US has banned the sale and import of new communications equipment from five Chinese companies, including Huawei and ZTE, amid concerns over national security.
Other companies listed include Hikvision, Dahua and Hytera, which make video surveillance equipment and two-way radio systems.
It is the first time US regulators have taken such a move on security grounds.
Hikvision said that its products present no security threat to the US.
Huawei and others have previously denied supplying data to the Chinese government.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said its members had voted unanimously on Friday to adopt the new rules.
“These new rules are an important part of our ongoing actions to protect the American people from national security threats involving telecommunications,” commission’s chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.
The restrictions in the US are the latest levied against Chinese tech firms following spying concerns, which US officials have become increasingly wary of in recent years. — NNN-AGENCIES
