https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/3/17532696/sprint-t-mobile-china-huawei-softbank-merger-trump-scrutiny > Congressional lawmakers are intent on urging President Donald Trump and his administration to closely examine Sprint’s proposed merger with T-Mobile due to the former’s ties to the Chinese government, according to a report from Bloomberg. Sprint does not have direct ties to Beijing. Rather, it’s that the US telecom is majority owned by Japan’s SoftBank, which has worked with Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. Alongside fellow Chinese telecom ZTE, Huawei has been deemed a national security threat by the US government, with intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense banning Huawei phones and equipment from the military and ZTE very nearly shut down over an all-out trade ban. > “Recognizing that these companies operate as subsidiaries of foreign-owned firms — one of which maintains long-standing close ties with Chinese state-influenced entities — a full and robust national security investigation is required,” reads a draft letter sent to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who oversees the national security review of the Sprint and T-Mobile deal. The draft, obtained by Bloomberg, was penned by Congressional critics of the deal and is now circulating the House of the Representatives.