Texas bans many China-linked medical devices over national security threats
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Millions of Americans depend on medical devices such as pacemakers, infusion pumps and patient monitors to survive. But some of this equipment is made in China and may be spying on us, or worse.
In January 2025, the Food and Drug Administration and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a stern joint warning: Patient monitors manufactured by Contec Medical Systems, a Chinese company based in Qinhuangdao, contain a hidden backdoor. These devices, used in hospitals in the United States, can transfer sensitive patient data to a hard-coded IP address in China. Even more troubling, the backdoor allows remote code execution, potentially allowing an attacker to manipulate displayed vital signs and trigger dangerous clinical decisions.
There is no patch to fix this. For China, this is not a bug, but a feature.
China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law requires every Chinese company to assist state intelligence operations upon request. When Beijing says open the door, the company complies. The effects of any device linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on America’s healthcare system are clear and unacceptable.
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Texas is taking action against the potential danger of hidden backdoors in Chinese medical technology. (iStock)
President Donald Trump recognized the danger early. In September 2025, his administration launched a Section 232 national security investigation into medical equipment imports, citing the risk of foreign powers weaponizing supply chains. Investigators have even discovered CCP-linked devices in research laboratories funded by the US government.
Dependence on a hostile foreign supplier that uses government subsidies to outmaneuver American rivals is bad enough. But in addition to this, in a crisis like we have seen during Covid-19, the danger of sudden export disruptions also increases and this danger becomes even greater. If hospitals remain reliant on compromised supply chains, patients could be left without life-saving technology when it matters most.
Fortunately, Texas is not waiting for Washington to take the necessary steps. As congressional gridlock stalls federal progress, the Lone Star State has stepped up.
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Republican Governor Greg Abbott banned CCP-affiliated technologies from state government systems and in June 2025 signed legislation creating the Texas Cyber Command to detect and eliminate threats from hostile foreign countries. Late last year, the governor expanded the state’s list of banned technologies to include 26 more companies with China ties — hardware manufacturers and artificial intelligence platforms with direct CCP ties. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed numerous lawsuits against these companies operating within our borders.
The public also supports this stance. Texans know that national security doesn’t end at the border or on the battlefield—it extends to the devices that monitor our loved ones in the hospital.
Legal tools already exist. What is needed now is to extend these protections directly to government purchases of health care. This is exactly where Texas Republicans stand out.
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Recently, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, where we work, sent a letter to state leaders calling for more action. The letter, signed by all 53 members of the legislature, calls for common-sense measures: directing state health agencies to adopt purchasing standards that prohibit the purchase of medical devices from CCP-affiliated companies; establishing a review process for existing contracts and equipment to eliminate vulnerabilities; and collaborate with legislators to offer grants and preferences that encourage American-made medical devices.
Texans know that national security doesn’t end at the border or on the battlefield—it extends to the devices that monitor our loved ones in the hospital.
In our army careers, one of us was an intelligence officer and the other was a doctor. We have spent years investigating national security threats, and this fight is personal. Critical infrastructure, including health care, should never become the soft underbelly of America’s defense. No Texas patient should have their medical data transferred to a server in China, potentially having their medical care interrupted or held hostage by the CCP. No Texas hospital should be one firmware update away from undetected interference. And no state currently facing CCP aggression should leave its medical infrastructure as the last open door.
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Texas is once again showing the nation how to lead. We have the framework. We have the authority of the public. We are determined. Now we must finish the job before a crisis forces us.
The rest of America is watching. Let’s show them what real action looks like.
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Dr. Clifford Porter, MD, PhD, is a senior fellow in Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and a retired U.S. Army colonel.
