U.S. lawmakers subpoena China telecom giants over security concerns

Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (The Select Committee on the CPP photo)

By Michael Martina • Apr 24, 2025

The leaders of a U.S. congressional committee on Wednesday moved to force China’s three telecom giants to cooperate with an investigation into their alleged support for the Chinese military and government, according to letters seen by Reuters.

In a bipartisan effort, the House of Representatives’ select committee on China used its seldom exercised subpoena powers in an effort to compel China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom to answer questions about whether they could exploit access to American data through their U.S. cloud and internet businesses.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers continue to express concern over the Chinese telecoms’ U.S. operations following high-profile Chinese-led cyberattacks, including Volt Typhoon, which the FBI said has allowed China to gain access to American telecommunications, energy, water and other critical infrastructure.