WASHINGTON \u2013 Chinese telecom giants Huawei and ZTE pose a security threat to the United States and should be barred from US contracts and acquisitions, a yearlong congressional investigation has concluded.
\nA draft of a report by the House Intelligence Committee, obtained Sunday by AFP, said the two firms \u201ccannot be trusted\u201d to be free of influence from Beijing and could be used to undermine US security.
\n\u201cBased on available classified and unclassified information, Huawei and ZTE cannot be trusted to be free of foreign state influence and thus pose a security threat to the United States and to our systems,\u201d the draft document said.
\nThe congressional panel launched its probe over concerns that Beijing could use the fast-growing firms for economic or military espionage, or cyber attacks.
\nBoth Huawei and ZTE have denied any ties with the Chinese government. Top executives of the firms appeared at a hearing held by the panel last month, stressing that they were focused on business, not politics.
\nHuawei reiterated that position in response to queries.
\n\u201cThe integrity and independence of Huawei\u2019s organization and business practices are trusted and respected across almost 150 markets,\u201d Huawei vice president William Plummer said in an emailed statement.
\n\u201cPurporting that Huawei is somehow uniquely vulnerable to cyber mischief ignores technical and commercial realities, recklessly threatens American jobs and innovation, does nothing to protect national security, and should be exposed as dangerous political distractions.\u201d
\nZTE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n