US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared a national emergency over threats against American technology.
The move, done via executive order, is expected to precede a ban on U.S. firms doing business with the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.
Trump has pushed allies around the world not to adopt the company’s next generation 5G network technology.
In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote that the administration will “protect America from foreign adversaries who are actively and increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology infrastructure and services in the United States.”
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai celebrated the order.
In a statement, Pai said the move was a “significant step toward securing America’s networks.”
*This news was first published by CNBC