Bangladesh, May 18 -- 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 circu...