Cisco Replies:

In this opinion piece, Peter Navarro states,“Cisco Systems Inc. helps send thousands of Chinese dissidents to prison by selling sophisticated Internet surveillance technology to China.”

This claim is patently wrong. For the record, Cisco, including our operations in China, has never helped send anyone to prison. Navarro seems to be repeating an urban myth that Cisco somehow specifically designed technology for the China market that assists with surveillance or censorship. As we have said many times before, that is completely false. The networking hardware and software products that Cisco sells in China are exactly the same as we sell in every market around the world. Cisco products are supplied in complete accordance with US government regulations which are designed to take human rights into account in the export of US-designed products. Additionally, Cisco does not in any way participate in the censorship of information by governments nor are we involved in government action against citizens.

Since establishing operations in China in 1994, Cisco has played an important role in the growth of the Internet in China – from just a few thousand users then to well over 150 million today. We employ more than 2300 people in China and are a significant investor in that country, in everything from small- and medium-businesses to education programs, just as we are in many rapidly developing international markets. To suggest that Cisco or our employees have helped to imprison Chinese citizens is irresponsible and just plain wrong.

Sincerely,

Terry Anderson
Vice President, Public Relations