President Donald Trump signed an executive order
Wednesday in a move to ban certain types of technologies from foreign countries
deemed a national security threat to the United States.
Foreign countries and entities are creating and
exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology, Trump
noted in his order. These entities are producing such technologies to commit
malicious cyber-enabled actions, including certain kinds of espionage,
according to the order.
Trump “will do what it takes to keep America safe
and prosperous. and to protect America from foreign adversaries who are
actively and increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in
information and communications technology infrastructure and services in the
United States,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders wrote in a press
statement after the announcement.
The move is likely aimed at Chinese
telecommunications company Huawei, a giant entity the U.S. fears is conducting
espionage on behalf of the Beijing.
Reuters reported Tuesday that Trump was considering
signing an order designed to prohibit American companies from using
technologies from countries deemed adversaries. Huawei officials appeared to
support such an order, with Andy Purdy, the chief technology officer for Huawei
Technologies USA, telling reporters the company welcomes the president making
America safe.
The U.S. continues to apply pressure on Britain and
others to shy away from using Huawei to build out their fifth generation
network. Allowing the participation of Huawei in Germany’s 5G project would
mean the U.S. won’t be able to maintain the same level of cooperation with
Germany’s security agencies, U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell said in March.
Trump, who has been engaged in a nearly two-year
long trade fight with Beijing, is pushing U.S. telecommunications companies to
blow past China.
“I want 5G, and even 6G, technology in the United
States as soon as possible. It is far more powerful, faster, and smarter than
the current standard,” the president told his Twitter followers in February.
His administration set Huawei directly in its
sights.
The Department of Justice charged the company in
January on several counts of fraud. The 13-count indictment against Huawei and
its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, accused the tech giant of bank
fraud, wire fraud, and violating U.S. sanctions on Iran. Huawei was also
charged with conspiring to obstruct justice related to the DOJ’s investigation.
U.S. lawmakers have gotten in on the fight as well.
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, for instance,
announced legislation Tuesday that would make it more difficult for American
tech companies to export their technology to China.
“It’s time we realized China is not one threat among
many, China is the biggest national security threat facing the US,” Hawley
wrote in a tweet shortly after his announcement.
