US tech giants' China deals raise security risks

Hong Kong

ONE Chinese technology company receives crucial technical guidance from a former People's Liberation Army rear admiral. Another company developed the electronics on China's first atomic bomb. A third sells technology to China's air-to-air missile research academy. Their ties to the Chinese military run deep, and they all have something else in common: Each Chinese company counts one of America's tech giants - IBM, Cisco Systems or Microsoft - as a partner.

Such links, which are generally not well publicised, are now at the centre of a debate among some in the US defence community, including former US military officials, analysts and others. While the cross-border partnerships, under which US tech companies share, license or jointly develop advanced technologies with Chinese counterparts, are a growth area for business, security experts are increasingly questioning whether the deals harm US national security.