China at the Nexus of Telecom and U.S. National Security: Should the U.S. Be Worried?

In this day and age of intense partisan rancor in Washington, one thing that regularly brings Republicans and Democrats together is their distrust of China. And one Chinese company that both the left and the right seem to love to hate is Huawei Technologies, the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer in the world.

In October 2012, the House Intelligence Committee released a report warning the U.S. government and private companies against doing business with Huawei. The Chairman and the Ranking Member of the Committee  pointed out that Huawei can insert malicious hardware or software implants into its equipment, and allow the Chinese government to wage cyberwarfare, conduct economic espionage, and disrupt U.S. telecom networks that affect everything from electric power grids to banking and finance systems to rail and shipping channels.

Friends and Foes of Liberty spoke with Mr. William Plummer, Vice President of External Affairs at Huawei, about the accusations against the company, its relationship with the Chinese government, the vulnerabilities of the global telecommunications supply chain, and the politics of the U.S.-China relationship.

Hosted by Ying Ma, Friends and Foes of Liberty is an Internet radio show featuring in-depth discussions with thinkers, doers and leaders about freedom, geopolitics, the global marketplace and U.S. foreign policy.

Listen to the discussion by clicking here, downloading the podcast on iTunes, or using the player below.