Washington, Aug. 5 (ANI): Chinese state-owned telecommunications carriers remain deeply embedded in the U.S. internet ecosystem despite earlier federal regulatory actions over concerns about potential exploitation, influence, and control by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to a new bipartisan investigation by the U.S. House Select Committee on China.
The committee’s report, titled “Stranger Pings: Chinese Telecom Companies Infiltrate U.S. Infrastructure,” found that the U.S. subsidiaries of Chinese telecommunications firms were not fully independent from their parent companies in China and Hong Kong and continued to maintain connections with American communications infrastructure.
“The investigation found that Chinese state-owned carriers remained deeply embedded in the U.S. internet ecosystem long after federal regulators had already found them vulnerable to CCP exploitation, influence, and control,” the Select Committee said.
The investigation examined the U.S. operations of China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom, three Chinese state-affiliated telecommunications companies, following concerns about their role in American communications networks.
According to the report, the companies’ U.S. subsidiaries remain linked to their Chinese parent networks and supporting systems, creating potential security risks for American internet users.
The committee said that while the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had previously denied or revoked the companies’ Section 214 telecommunications licenses, those actions did not eliminate their existing presence, equipment, or network relationships in the United States.
“The FCC’s actions limit what the companies can sell, but it cannot remove the companies’ equipment, presence, or network relationships,” the report stated.
The investigation also identified what it described as “anomalous internet routing activity” that coincided with major CCP-sponsored cyberattacks targeting U.S. systems, raising concerns that the companies’ remaining operations could be exploited for future cyber activities.
The report was released following a bipartisan investigation launched after the CCP-linked “Salt Typhoon” cyberattack targeting U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.
In March 2025, the Select Committee held a hearing titled “End the Typhoons: How to Deter Beijing’s Cyber Actions and Enhance America’s Lackluster Cyber Defenses.” Following the hearing, the panel launched an investigation into China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom.
The committee said the three companies did not voluntarily cooperate with the investigation, prompting the issuance of subpoenas and bipartisan interviews with company personnel.
Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar said Chinese telecommunications subsidiaries operating in the United States remain a threat because of their alleged ties to the CCP.
“U.S.-based subsidiaries of Chinese telecommunications companies are beholden to the CCP, and they are a threat to all of us,” Moolenaar said.
“They make American customers promise to censor information according to the CCP’s laws, and they poison the domestic cyber infrastructure we rely on. All of this leaves us vulnerable to a new wave of state-sponsored cyberattacks from our nation’s biggest adversary,” he added.
The committee’s ranking member, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said the report underscores the need for continued oversight of China-linked telecommunications companies operating in the United States.
“This report shows the importance of continued oversight of PRC-linked telecommunications companies operating in the U.S. Particularly in light of the CCP’s Typhoon campaigns, Congress should continue to address risks to Americans’ data and ensure that the agencies responsible for securing our communications networks have the resources they need to respond to potential threats,” Khanna said.
The report recommended expanding federal authority over foreign-controlled communications infrastructure, strengthening oversight of companies linked to foreign adversaries, improving internet routing security, and providing resources to remove or mitigate infrastructure deemed a national security risk.
The committee also called for entity-specific FCC Covered List determinations, funding for targeted “rip-and-replace” programs, and mandatory logging, monitoring, and recording of potentially risky infrastructure until security threats are addressed.
The panel said the recommendations are intended to identify, restrict, and, if necessary, remove foreign state-controlled network infrastructure that could pose risks to U.S. national security. (ANI)
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