In the News: China Telecom Ban; World IP Rankings; and Medical Equipment Export Rules

April 13, 2020 | BY

Vincent Chow

U.S. agencies recommend stripping China Telecom of operating license over national security concerns; China knocks U.S. off top spot in global patent filing league table; and Chinese customs to increase checks on medical equipment exports amid complaints about low quality

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U.S. agencies advise ban on China Telecom, citing national security

Several key U.S. government agencies have called for a subsidiary of China's largest landline provider to be barred from operating in the U.S. The group of departments, including State, Defence, Justice, Homeland Security, Commerce, and the U.S. Trade Representative, said in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Apr. 9 that China Telecom Americas poses "unacceptable national security and law enforcement risks."

The FCC has been reviewing the operations of state-owned China Telecom since 2019. The company received its license to operate in the U.S. in 2007. In May 2019, the FCC