According to an exclusive report by Reuters, citing two anonymous security officials, the Commerce Department has launched an investigation into the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, which has already been designated as a security threat by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), over “concerns that U.S. cell towers fitted with its gear could capture sensitive information from military bases and missile silos that the company could then transmit to China.” Such information would include “sensitive data on military drills and the readiness status of bases and personnel.”

The Commerce Department could not “confirm or deny ongoing investigations,” but stated that “protecting U.S. persons’ safety and security against malign information collection is vital to protecting our economy and national security.”

Reuters reached out to the Chinese embassy in Washington, who stated “The U.S. government abuses the concept of national security and state power to go all out to suppress Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications companies without providing any solid proof that they constitute a security threat to the U.S. and other countries.”