In the theater of American politics, some lawmakers have mastered the art of dramatizing threats, and the recurring antagonist in their self-scripted narratives is, unsurprisingly, China. The latest additions to the ever-growing “China threat list” include solar inverters and routers-devices that until recently were considered unremarkable components of modern infrastructure. Yet, in the current geopolitical climate, even ordinary hardware becomes a tool for political opportunism.

On May 14, Reuters published a report, citing anonymous US sources, that “rogue” components had been found in Chinese-manufactured solar inverters. These supposed components, it was claimed, could allow remote circumvention of firewalls-hypothetically leading to the destabilization of power grids, damage to energy infrastructure, and widespread blackouts. However, the report failed to present a single piece of solid evidence. No specific product names, no confirmed incidents, no verifiable proof. The entire story was built on a foundation of speculation and ominous conjecture, a pattern that has become all too familiar.

From garlic being framed as a poisonous weapon, to container cranes labeled as espionage tools, to electric vehicles accused of data theft, the list of objects turned “threats” by a subset of American politicians grows increasingly ludicrous. Now, solar inverters and routers have been thrown into the same conspiracy-laced cauldron, showing that no item is too mundane to escape the suspicion of Washington’s more hawkish........

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