US FCC votes to bar mainland Chinese labs from testing US-bound electronics from December 2028; Beijing says it has countered and demands repeal.
The US Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously on 29 October (US Eastern time) to stop recognising radio-frequency device test labs, telecommunication certification bodies and lab accreditation bodies located in "non-reciprocal economies" that lack mutual-recognition or comparable agreements with the US from 1 December 2028, and to bar FCC-related testing, certification or accreditation work there. Reuters quoted FCC Chair Brendan Carr as saying about 82% of electronics were tested in China in 2025 and that such labs gain access to sensitive product information months before launch. Caixin said all RF devices such as phones, computers and networking gear will then have to be tested in the US or in more than 60 countries and regions with recognition agreements, a list that excludes mainland China and India. Certifications granted before the deadline remain valid. A commerce ministry spokesperson said on 30 October that the FCC had "violated the important consensus reached by the two heads of state" by repeatedly issuing China-related restrictions, that China strongly opposes the move and had already taken countermeasures, that Washington had been negative on its repeated proposals for a bilateral mutual-recognition agreement, and that China demands the measure be revoked and will take further steps if the US persists.
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