FCC Aims to Bar Some Chinese Labs From Testing US Electronics

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The Federal Communications Commission on Monday said it has begun proceedings to withdraw recognition from seven test labs owned or controlled by the Chinese government, citing U.S. national security concerns.

The U.S. telecommunications agency in May voted to establish rules barring Chinese labs deemed risks to U.S. national security from testing electronic devices such as smartphones, cameras, and computers for use in the United States.

The commission  also said that U.S. recognition of four other Chinese labs has expired since May and will not be renewed, including two that sought extensions.

"Foreign adversary governments should not own and control the labs that test the devices the FCC certifies as safe for the U.S. market," FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said.

All electronics used in the United States must go through the FCC's equipment authorization process before they can be imported. The FCC says about 75% of all electronics are tested in labs in China.

The FCC said it was taking action against companies including the Chongqing Academy of Information and Communications; CQC Internet of Vehicles Technical Service Co.; CVC Testing; TUV Rheinland-CCIC Ningbo Co.; UL-CCIC; CESI (Guangzhou) Standards;  China Academy of Information and Communications Technology; Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology; and CCIC Southern Testing Co.

The test labs could not immediately be reached.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment Monday but said earlier it opposes the United States "over-stretching the concept of national security, using national apparatus and long-arm jurisdiction to bring down Chinese companies. We oppose turning trade and technological issues into political weapons."

The FCC previously found many labs appeared to have deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party, including some connected to Chinese state-owned-enterprises or the Chinese military. These labs have tested thousands of devices bound for the U.S. market over the last several years, the agency added.

The FCC in November 2022 banned approvals of new telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE, as well as telecom and video surveillance equipment from Hytera Communications Corp., Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, and Zhejiang Dahua Technology.

This past March, the FCC said it was investigating nine Chinese companies, including Huawei, Hikvision, China Mobile, and China Telecom, to determine if they were seeking to evade U.S. restrictions.