Bipartisan US bill would bar two Chinese optical-transceiver makers from sensitive government systems

Reuters reported at 22:36 UTC on September 25 that Republican senators John Cornyn and Dave McCormick and Democratic senators John Fetterman and Ruben Gallego introduced the bill. It would bar federal procurement or deployment of specified Chinese-made optical transceivers in sensitive government systems.

Optical transceivers convert electrical and optical signals so data can move over fibre inside AI data centres; some large facilities require millions of the devices. The bill names Eoptolink and Zhongji Innolight and would let the Commerce and Defense secretaries add companies to the list.

Sponsors said the United States should not depend on China for technology tied to national security and critical government communications, warning that components could be used to disrupt access to U.S. AI tools and cloud services. Innolight, Eoptolink and the Chinese Embassy had not responded by Reuters' publication time. Innolight was previously added to a Pentagon list of companies it alleges are backed by China's military.

The U.S. technology industry has raised competing concerns. The Information Technology Industry Council warned the FCC in August that adding optical transceivers to a trade blacklist could disrupt supply, slow data-centre deployment and weaken U.S. AI leadership. Reuters said U.S. firms Coherent and Lumentum sell competing technology, but an industry report found they lack the scale to replace Chinese vendors immediately.

If passed and signed, the government would have five years to comply. The measure is currently a bill, not an effective ban. N Globe does not present the sponsors' security-risk claims as proof of a confirmed intrusion or disruption event.

The image is an N Globe editorial illustration, not a government system or product photograph. Verification status: confirmed that the bill was introduced. News value: B-level important news. Origin: United States. Primary section: Security. Related regions: China and World. Source time: September 25, 2026, 22:36 UTC. Report time: September 26, 2026, 00:14 UTC.