Are Huawei and ZTE a Real Cybersecurity Threat?

Cybersecurity experts say the U.S. has some reason to worry

President Trump’s mixed messages about a plan to help controversial Chinese telecom giant ZTE has baffled Washington. WSJ's Shelby Holliday breaks down three reasons why lawmakers see the company as a threat. Illustration: Adam Falk
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The U.S. government’s remarkable campaign against Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp., which has involved a series of actions aimed at limiting the Chinese manufacturers’ business in the U.S. and elsewhere, is rooted in a cybersecurity fear.

Huawei and ZTE are the world’s No. 1 and No. 4 makers of telecommunications equipment, such as the cellular-tower electronics that wireless carriers need. Washington worries that the Chinese government could order the companies to tap the products they make to spy, disable communications...