Even if Trump Trusts Huawei, Here’s Why America Shouldn’t

The People’s Liberation Army boasts two million soldiers but doesn’t deign to have a website: The world’s largest army hides in plain sight, both inside China and globally. Many Chinese companies quietly partner with the PLA, and the world’s largest telecommunications manufacturer, Huawei, is no exception. That Huawei maintains ties to the military in its home country isn’t unusual — it’s true for all telecommunications giants. The problem lies with Huawei, the PLA and the Chinese Communist Party.

After a June 29 meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Japan, President Trump announced the loosening of U.S. government restrictions on Huawei. But a temporary truce in the trade war between the United States and China doesn’t reduce the national security risk Huawei poses. Indeed, regardless of how Trump describes the company in the future, we should continue to mistrust it.