Cisco submitted the following Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post:

October 17, 2012

Washington Post

Letter to the Editor,

In a page one article last Thursday entitled, "US rivals lobby against Chinese firm," the Post implies that Cisco engaged in a lobbying campaign against Huawei on Capitol Hill regarding national security issues, and describes a Cisco marketing document that compiled published views and concerns from around the world regarding  Huawei.  The article reports that, "Senior Hill staffers at three separate congressional offices say an array of American tech firms have lobbied them to increase scrutiny of Huawei, using language similar to Cisco's campaign."

The suggestion that Cisco engaged in a lobbying campaign with the House Intelligence Committee against Huawei on national security issues, and that the marketing document was distributed or its contents used for lobbying on Capitol Hill, is false.  In response to a request we received from the Committee, we provided committee staffers with publicly available information about the private intellectual property litigation between Cisco and Huawei that occurred in 2003 and 2004. This was the extent of Cisco's involvement.

Cisco has been engaged in China for almost twenty years, supplying internet routing and switching equipment that has resulted in billions of people being connected to the global Internet.   As we do with other competitors, we compete vigorously with Huawei in the marketplace.  The Post's article, however, provides a misleading impression regarding Cisco's lobbying activities.

 

Mark Chandler

Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Cisco