Senator Marco Rubio (R- Florida) slammed President Donald Trump’s decision to help Chinese telecommunications company ZTE to restart its business.
On Sunday, Pres, Trump tweeted that he is working with Chinese President Xi Jinping to help ZTE “get back into business.” He instructed the Department of Commerce to get it done.
The problem with ZTE is national security and espionage
On Monday, Sen. Rubio said the President’s decision to allow ZTE operate in the U.S. without tighter restrictions is “crazy.” He emphasized that the problem with the Chinese telecom company is national security and espionage.
Problem with ZTE isn’t jobs & trade, it’s national security & espionage. Any telecomm firm in #China can be forced to act as tool of Chinese espionage without any court order or any other review process. We are crazy to allow them to operate in U.S. without tighter restrictions https://t.co/AXtTDgufc9
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 14, 2018
In 2012, the Congressional Intelligence Committee recommended to the U.S. government to avoid doing business with ZTE and Huawei. The Committee explained that the Chinese government has influence over the two telecom companies. It could use the companies to gather intelligence, intercept high-level communications, and shut down network systems during national emergencies.
