China calls proposed US legislation against Huawei, ZTE “hysteria”

FILE PHOTO - A man walking past a Huawei P20 smartphone advertisement is reflected in a glass door in front of a Huawei logo at a shopping mall in Shanghai, China - REUTERS 

BEIJING (Reuters): China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that proposed US legislation targeting Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese telecommunications equipment companies was due to “hysteria”, and urged US lawmakers to stop the bills.

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the comments at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced bills that would ban the sale of US chips or other components to Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, ZTE Corp or other Chinese firms that violate US sanctions or export control laws.

The bills specifically cite ZTE and Huawei, both of which are viewed with suspicion in the United States because of fears that their switches and other gear could be used to spy on Americans.