Swiss group ABB says US Congress is examining its Chinese operations

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ABB, the Swiss industrial conglomerate, has said US lawmakers are reviewing its operations in China.

The company disclosed on Friday that it had received a “letter from the US House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security and the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist party”. 

According to the letter, a copy of which has been seen by the Financial Times, the committee in July requested “documents and information from ABB concerning cyber security risks, foreign intelligence threats and supply chain vulnerabilities at seaports in the United States”.

ABB specialises in industrial automation, energy efficiency technologies and factory robots. The US is its biggest single market, where it makes everything from industrial electric motors to robots, followed by China. About 95 per cent of all products and services the company makes in China are sourced locally. 

ABB said it was reviewing the letter and would “provide a response as appropriate”. “We take this matter seriously,” it added. 

The review by the committee was first reported by Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Radio.