Asian Tech Press (Nov 3) -- The Chinese government urged the United States again on Wednesday to withdraw its decision to revoke the license of one of the three major Chinese state-owned telcos to operate in the country.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in a statement Wednesday that China firmly opposes the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s decision to revoke section 214 authorizations of China Telecom's Americas subsidiary in the United States, citing national security concerns.
The MITT said, "We urge the U.S. government to withdraw its decision, treat Chinese telecom companies in a fair and non-discriminatory manner, stop the wrong practice of generalizing the concept of national security and politicizing economic issues, and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies to invest and operate in the United States."
In response, China Telecom Corp. said Wednesday that it has been operating in compliance with local laws in China and other countries and regions, including the U.S. And the FCC's decision lacks proper justification and undermines the legitimate rights and interests of China Telecom (Americas) Corp.
Following the FCC's decision last Tuesday to vote to revoke China Telecom (Americas) Corp's license to operate in the U.S., a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Commerce said China had made a formal complaint to the United States on the issue.
On Tuesday, the FCC announced its decision to revoke China Telecom Americas' domestic section 214 authority, and revoke and terminate its international section 214 authorizations on its official website.
The order requires China Telecom's Americas subsidiary to cease its services in the U.S. within 60 days of the decision's announcement.
Public information shows that China Telecom's wholly owned subsidiary, China Telecom (Americas) Corp, is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, with offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Jose, and branch operations in Toronto, Canada and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
