After a yearlong probe, a United States congressional report concluded that China's two telecom giants Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp may pose a threat to US national security.

The findings sparked heated criticism from Huawei and ZTE as well as from the Chinese public. Voices argued that the allegations are groundless and that the real threat is that Chinese big companies are getting stronger against US firms, says an article from China Business News. Excerpts:

The US report alleged that Huawei and ZTE are backed by the Chinese government and are probably influenced substantially by a military background.

The expansion of China's two leading technology firms in the US may control converters, routers, and built-in software in US telecom networks. However, no specific evidence has emerged from the congressional report. Accusing Huawei and ZTE of threatening US national security remains a vague assumption.

The US accused Huawei of having a military background due to the fact that its CEO served in the army. In the US, a large number of elite executives served in the army, too. For example, the renowned US Military Academy at West Point has trained many businessmen. If these people were also accused of having a "military background", then there would be many US military "spies" lurking in US multinational companies.

According to The Economist magazine, the real threat posed by Chinese companies, such as Huawei, lies in the fact that it has emerged as a leading company in terms of innovation compared with Western competitors.

Trade protectionism has been on the rise in the US since the 2008 financial crisis. In recent years, we have seen mounting China-US trade frictions, and some Chinese firms in the US have received an unfair treatment.

It has been said that the US allegations reflect the strength of Chinese companies, which compels US competitors to stand in awe.

This time, Huawei and ZTE are being excluded from the market by the US with the excuse of threatening national security. Next time, other firms may be challenged by different reasons.