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US trade group send letter to congress criticising Chinese IT supplier ban

5 Apr 2013 12:00 AM | Anonymous

A move to ban IT suppliers associated with or owned by the Chinese government from working with select U.S. agencies in a new budget resolution, has been criticised by members of different trade groups.

The decision to ban IT suppliers connected with the Chinese government comes after fears of cyber-attacks, with U.S agencies pointing the finger at China for a campaign of cyber warfare against both the private and public sector.

Trade groups including the BSA, the Semiconductor Industry Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have written a letter to congressional leaders, setting forward the difficulties that they see in the new budget resolution.

The letter set forward the trade group’s opinion that the restrictions to Chinese suppliers: “set a troubling and counterproductive precedent that could have significant international repercussions and put U.S.-based global IT companies at a competitive disadvantage in global markets".

The letter described how IT firms linked with the Chinese government did not pose any greater risk to product security than other suppliers: “Fundamentally, product security is a function of how a product is made, used, and maintained, not by whom or where it is made".

"Geographic-based restrictions run the risk of creating a false sense of security when it comes to advancing our national cybersecurity interests."

The trade groups identified that the move by the U.S. threatened sparking a trade conflict, with China moving to enact its own legislation in response.

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