MADRID, 19 (EUROPA PRESS)
Republican Congressmen Gus Bilirakis, chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, and Richard Hudson, chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, have requested in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick that the U.S. Department of Commerce open an investigation into the Spanish Interior Ministry's awarding of wiretaps to Chinese company Huawei, ordered by judges and prosecutors.
In their letter, dated August 8, the congressmen expressed to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce their "concern regarding the Spanish government's recent decisions," which they believe have "significant implications" for digital commerce, data security, and U.S. telecommunications interests.
"It is deeply concerning that a treaty ally would use telecommunications equipment and services from an entity aligned with the Chinese Communist Party," the letter states, warning that this "poses serious risks to national and economic security" and noting that, in 2019, the Trump administration recognized that these risks were unacceptable and banned Huawei and ZTE from participating in U.S. telecommunications networks.
Republican politicians also argue that Spain's decision underscores "a regrettable trend in the European Union," where governments tacitly embrace Chinese technology and apply double standards to US digital trade exports, highlighting the legal challenges US multinationals face under European data privacy rules.
In this regard, they note that, since 2015, the EU has twice invalidated agreements on cross-border transfers of personal data with the US, "which has generated significant uncertainty for US companies in all sectors of transatlantic trade." They also assert that cross-border data transfers from the EU to China remain unimpeded.
The government's actions , however, illustrate that double standards persist in the EU, and that Chinese technology and data flows receive far less scrutiny than those in the United States," they charge.
The two congressmen thus urge the Department of Commerce to "investigate the Spanish government's decision and similar actions by EU governments," which negatively affect digital commerce, data security, and the interests of U.S. telecommunications companies, as well as the interests of American workers.
The letter from Bilirakis and Hudson follows one sent in mid-July by Republican Senator Tom Cotton and Congressman Rick Crawford, in which they asked the Director of National Intelligence of the United States, Tulsi Gabbard, to review its agreements with Spain in this area following this contract with the Chinese multinational.
The award is reflected in a €12.3 million awarded by the Ministry of the Interior to the Chinese multinational for the management of wiretaps ordered by judges and prosecutors, according to a recent report by the newspaper 'The Objective.'
In a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Spain, a spokesperson expressed displeasure with the letter, describing it as "a typical act of bullying" to "defame, restrict, and attack Chinese companies worldwide."
