"After significant engagement with China Mobile, concerns about increased risks to U.S. law enforcement and national security interests were unable to be resolved. Therefore, the Executive Branch of the U.S. government… recommends that the FCC deny China Mobile’s Section 214 license request," the NTIA said in a press release on Monday.
Washington's move comes amid growing tensions between the United States and China over the trade tariffs. Washington and Beijing have recently engaged in what has taken on the contours of the so-called trade war, with the US accusing China of violating intellectual property. In June, US Congress in legislation reimposed a ban on ZTE, another Chinese telecom giant, reportedly due to the fears over alleged trade theft and national security concerns.
Zhong also stressed that China would continue to be an active supporter and participant of the multilateral trade mechanisms.
The sides seemed to settle the issue of US President Donald Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs by negotiating to cut China-US trade imbalance in mid-May. However, in June, the US president threatened to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods, citing Beijing's "irrational behavior." China has called Trump's latest threats "an act of extreme pressure and blackmail." In turn, Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that other states "took advantage" of the United States by maintaining tariffs on US products.
