McConnell Talks Chinese Companies and Cyber Concerns

News | February 13, 2018

Speaking to Washington Examiner, the EWI's cyberspace program chief said a proposal to ban Chinese telecom companies from U.S. government contracts would be "bad for business."

"My view, then and now, is it doesn't make sense to make procurement decisions based on the headquarters location of the company whose name is on the box,” said McConnell, a former top cyber official at the Department of Homeland Security

A number of Congress member are reportedly planning to introduce a bill to prohibit Chinese firms, including Huawei and ZTE, from getting government contracts due to cybersecurity concerns.

“All of these products are from the global supply chain. All come from the same place as Huawei," said McConnell. "It doesn't do anything for cybersecurity, and other countries will discriminate against U.S. products. You end up limiting our ability to sell American products into those markets."

Read the full interview.