Outgoing US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai said potential Chinese espionage and threats to US telecommunications networks and internet freedom are the biggest national security issue that regulators will face in the next four years.

Ajit Pai told Reuters in an interview there is a “wide array” of activity from China that was of concern, including of surveillance, economic espionage and potential “injection of malware into networks here in the United States or around the world.

"There are a number of bad things that can happen when insecure equipment is used to handle sensitive information.”

Pai was named chairman in January 2017 by former President Donald Trump and stepped down on Wednesday. During his tenure, the FCC cracked down on Chinese network manufacturers like Huawei and ZTE.

“The Chinese Communist Party has a determined world view. They want to dominate this space and exert their will -- even beyond their own borders. That is a serious threat not just to internet freedom but to national security for us and for many of our allies.”