US House backs US$675 billion defence budget and a ban on ZTE and Huawei sales to Pentagon

The US House of Representatives on Thursday approved a US$675 billion spending bill for the Defence Department that includes a 2.6 per cent raise for the military and an amendment that bars the Pentagon from buying goods or services from Chinese telecommunications euipment suppliers ZTE Corp and Huawei Technologies.

The 359-49 vote sends the bill to the US Senate, where the Appropriations Committee approved a similar measure this week.

ZTE is accused of violating trade laws by selling sensitive technologies to North Korea and Iran. Huawei allegedly has ties to the Chinese government and is considered a security risk.

“Broad majorities of Democrats and Republicans in Congress know that China has led a dedicated and long-term campaign to steal American secrets, techniques and know-how,” Representative Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat who wrote the amendment about ZTE and Huawei, said in a statement.

He called his amendment “a small step in a larger fight to build a comprehensive strategy to defeat and deter Chinese attacks on our national and economic security”.