China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said it strongly opposed a move by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revoke China Unicom’s licence, effectively banning the state-owned Chinese telco from providing services in the US market.  In its statement, the FCC had said China Unicom posed national security risks as it was subject to exploitation and control by the Chinese government. “[China Unicom] is highly likely to be forced to comply with Chinese government requests without sufficient legal procedures subject to independent judicial oversight,” the US government agency said.  MIIT said Thursday the FCC did not provide facts to back its allegations and overgeneralised national security issues to suppress Chinese businesses.  Describing the US agency’s move as an abuse of state power, MIIT said the Chinese government would take necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of its organisations that invested and operated in the US.  MIIT further noted that China Unicom had been operating in the US for two decades and had abided by US laws and regulations, according to a report by state-run Chinese newspaper, China Daily.  It called on the FCC to reverse its decision and provide a “fair, just, and nondiscriminatory” environment for Chinese companies operating in the US market.  On its part, China Unicom Global on Thursday said the FCC’s move was without justification, China Daily reported.  The telco said its US outfit had a “good record” of complying with relevant US laws. It added that the FCC order was issued “without affording required due process”. “China Unicom Americas would act proactively to protect the rights and interests of the company and its customers,” it said.  China Telecom also has been banned from operating in the US, where China Mobile currently is the remaining major Chinese telco to be allowed to provide its services. The US government in January 2021 ordered the delisting of three Chinese telcos from the New York Stock Exchange, namely, China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom Hong Kong.

China accuses US of breaching market rules in NYSE delistingChina lashes out at India app block, UK 5G banChina to lead APAC tech spend, 5G race ahead of global markets Huawei rebukes US attempts to stymie foreign competition with chip ruleZTE lashes out at US ban, vows to protect company