Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo that Huawei Technologies' ties to the Chinese Communist Party pose the greatest threat to America’s economic and national security.

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“Huawei is an instrument of the Chinese government. They’re deeply connected. It’s something that hard for Americans to understand,” Pompeo said during an exclusive interview on “Mornings with Maria” Wednesday.

Chinese companies operate under a set of different rules where business practices could be influenced by politics unlike in the United States, according to Pompeo.

“Our companies cooperate with the United States government, that is they comply with our laws. But no president directs an American private company; that’s very different in China,” he said. “They just simply operate under a different set of rules. That’s the most fundamental thing I think people need to try and get their head around.”

Pompeo points out Huawei isn’t bound by any laws from sharing American intellectual property with the Beijing government.

“If it’s the case, that the Chinese Communist Party wanted to get information from technology that was in the possession of Huawei, it is almost certainly the case that Huawei would provide that to them,” he said. “That deep connectivity exists inside the way their political economy operates. That’s very different in the United States. That’s the threat that President Trump sees from Huawei.”

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