1 week Ago
AS A former Senior White House advisor at the U.S. Department of State, I am pleased with how New Hampshire has worked closely with the federal government to address the threat posed by Chinese technology companies.
In 2022, then-Gov. Chris Sununu signed an executive order banning the use of hardware or software from multiple Chinese companies on state networks and state-issued devices. These companies, which have close ties to the Chinese Communist Party government, had the capacity to “collect sensitive .
.. data” from individuals or businesses, “use algorithmic modifications to conduct disinformation or misinformation campaigns,” and even “conduct effective Cyber-espionage against government entities,” Sununu explained.
The federal government has pursued similar policies. For example, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned the import or sale of Huawei products and directed funds to reimburse small telecom carriers for the cost of replacing Huawei equipment. So far, so good.
Unfortunately, federal attempts to erode Huawei’s influence abroad have been less successful. During President Donald Trump’s first term, the “Clean Network Initiative” aimed to convince other nations to exclude Huawei products from their telecom infrastructure, but few countries actually signed on, among an absence of U.S.
alternatives. Worse still, Justice Department bureaucrats have been actively sabotaging the U.S.
telecom industry. For example, a proposed merger between HPE and Juniper would create a major new player in the 5G equipment industry. However, instead of approving that merger in the interest of national security, the DOJ sued to block it before Pam Bondi was sworn in as U.
S. Attorney General. If successful, this lawsuit would make it harder for states like ours to find alternatives to banned Huawei products, effectively punishing them for doing the right thing.
By preventing a potential Huawei competitor from entering the market, it would also further empower the Chinese Communist Party-subsidized firm. Huawei already controls 30% of the global telecom equipment market — six times the share of its closest American rival — and has been the driving force behind much of the developing world’s transition to 5G. This market dominance poses an indirect but very real threat to U.
S. national security. The era of cheap trade is over.
The world is about to split into rival blocs dominated by the U.S. and China, which means many of those developing nations will be forced to choose a side.
If bureaucrats in the U.S. government hold back U.
S. companies ready to compete with Huawei around the world, then our own government has made the choice for these nations that work with China. States like New Hampshire have already done all they can to mitigate Chinese tech threats.
It’s time for the feds to stop getting in the way. They are making it very difficult for this state to stand up to the Chinese Communist Party and do the right and noble thing, which is divesting from China’s dangerous, potentially national security compromising products. Thankfully, unlike President Joe Biden’s White House, the Trump administration understands what’s at stake and is changing America’s regulatory and foreign policies quickly.
Slowly but surely, U.S. federal policy will become more in line with New Hampshire’s America First positioning on this issue.
That will prove instrumental, both for compliance with the Granite State’s rules and regulations and the safety and security of the great people of this state..
