Lawmakers seek harsh penalties against ZTE and Huawei

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Washington policymakers sought to ratchet up pressure on Chinese telecom giants Huawei and ZTE on Wednesday. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced new legislation that would ban exports to companies caught violating US sanctions laws.

It's the latest sign of a growing technological cold war between the United States and China over telecommunications technology. Huawei has allegedly stolen trade secrets from T-Mobile and other US companies. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Huawei could face criminal charges over the issue.

In a separate case, Canadian officials arrested Meng Wanzhou-Huawei's chief financial officer and daughter of the company's founder-at the behest of the US government over allegations that the company had violated US sanctions laws. ZTE also stands accused of violating those laws.

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