What do we mean when we say a Chinese company has “close ties to the government”? Or is “connected to the military”? And does this matter? It is a problem that writers on China have encountered for years, and it can be difficult get firm evidence. But now Congress is getting interested in those questions, and the results (if they go public) could make for fascinating reading. Members of the House Intelligence Committee who are investigating spying threats from China have asked two big Chinese telecommunications firms active in the United States to explain their relationship with the Chinese government. In letters to Huawei and ZTE Corp., the lawmakers are asking, for instance, about the role of the “Party committee” and the “work the two companies have done in Iran and their funding arrangements with the Chinese government.”