Reuters reported on January 18, 2018 that US Congressmen are urging AT&T Inc., the No. 2 wireless carrier in the US, to cut all commercial ties to Chinese phone maker Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. They are also opposing plans by China Mobile Ltd to enter the US market because of national security concerns. Earlier this month, AT&T was forced to scrap a plan to offer its customers Huawei handsets after some members of Congress lobbied against the idea with federal regulators. The Congressmen are also advising US companies that if they have ties to Huawei or China Mobile, it could hamper their ability to do business with the US government,.

(Comment: The U.S. government has additionally blocked a string of Chinese acquisitions over national security concerns, including Ant Financial’s proposed purchase of U.S. money transfer company MoneyGram International Inc.)