US bans China Unicom over national security concerns

San Francisco, Jan 28 (IANS) The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US has banned telecom company China Unicom from operating in the country for national security reasons.China Unicom joins China Telecom as being another Chinese state-owned telco that has been banned from operating in the US.China Mobile is the only remaining major telco that is still operational in the US.The FCC said in a statement late on Thursday that China Unicom Americas, a US subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned enterprise, is subject to exploitation, influence and control by the Chinese government.It is "highly likely to be forced to comply with Chinese government requests without sufficient legal procedures subject to independent judicial oversight". The FCC order has directed China Unicom Americas to discontinue any domestic or international services within 60 days. "The action safeguards the nation's telecommunications infrastructure from potential security threats," said the commission.In March 2021, the FCC found that China Unicom Americas had failed to dispel serious concerns regarding its retention of its authority to provide telecommunications services in the US. "China Unicom Americas' ownership and control by the Chinese government raise significant national security and law enforcement risks," allowing China to "to engage in espionage and other harmful activities against the US".Prior to the FCC decision, China Unicom was already under regulatory scrutiny in the US, and was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange alongside China Telecom and China Mobile earlier in 2021.President Joe Biden signed an executive order last year prohibiting US citizens from investing in the three telcos.
--IANS na/ksk/

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