TP-Link Systems Inc. says it will cooperate with the U.S. federal government on cybersecurity issues as the maker of Wi-Fi routers and related networking equipment readies for a move into new worldwide headquarters in Irvine in a few weeks.
The move has been made more complicated in recent weeks due to national security concerns surrounding China.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 19 that the Joe Biden administration is weighing a ban on Chinese-made TP-Link routers, used in millions of American homes.
TP-Link, a top-selling router on Amazon, has been tied to Chinese cyberattacks, while the devices also power internet communications for the Defense Department and other federal government agencies, according to the newspaper.
โTP-Link sells in the U.S. through a business unit based in California,โ according to the Wall Street Journal.
TP-Link Systems in Irvine sees things much differently.
โWe are fully separate from TP-Link Technologies Co. Ltd., which sells products to consumers in mainland China. The two businesses have totally unaffiliated ownership and operations,โ a TP-Link systems spokesperson told the Business Journal on Dec. 23.
Nearly all of its products sold in the United States are manufactured in Vietnam, while the remainder are being transitioned to Vietnam, TP-Link Systems said in a written statement.
The local company also professes strict vigilance about cybersecurity.
It will be up to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who views China as the countryโs dominant foe, to untangle the various issues and suspicions.
200 Irvine Workers, 157K-Sq.-Ft. Space
TP-Link Systems has about 200 employees in Irvine.
The company bought the three-floor, 157, 279-square-foot building at 5 Peters Canyon Road from Pendulum Property Partners for $258 per square foot. It was one of the largest office deals in Orange County last year.
TP-Link says it has a secure, vertically integrated and U.S.-owned international supply chain.
โTP-Link Systems is proactively seeking opportunities to engage with the federal government to demonstrate the effectiveness of our security practices and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the American market, American consumers and addressing U.S. national security risks,โ the company says.
TP-Link Systems, which started operations here in 2023, will be moving its headquarters from 10 Mauchly in Irvine.
Capitol Hill China Suspicions
Even before the Wall Street Journal article, TP-Link had come under scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
A pair of U.S. lawmakers called on the Department of Commerce to investigate TP-Link and its affiliates over concerns the Chinese government can secretly exploit the companyโs products to spy on Americans, PC Mag reported in August.
U.S. Reps. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), who have headed up a House select committee on countering the Chinese government, hadnโt uncovered any direct evidence of TP-Link aiding Chinese state-sponsored spying, the magazine reported.
The pair are worried that the Chinese government could โmore easily compromiseโ the companyโsย routersย because theyโre manufactured in China and allegedly suffer from a disproportionate number of security flaws.
TP-Link was originally founded in Shenzhen, China in 1996.
The background of the locally based company is also complicated.
TP-Link Global and TP-Link USA merged to form TP-Link Systems Inc., serving as the parent company overseeing all regional and international offices. Previously, TP-Link operated dual headquarters in Singapore and Irvine.
โThere is no interdependence with TP-Link Technologies Co Ltd. in China,โ the local company says.
