I think the real target is - or should be - CIA, and NSA. People who have security needs that China will never agree to. The hardware switches help play into their needs: shut the chips off in situations where they are a concern.

Pursim should have a standing offer: we will make your phone on a day scheduled well in advance and allow your auditors in the factory to watch over the process. At an extra cost of course, but I think this is something they could offer easily enough and it would be very helpful to those most paranoid about security.

Dealing with government contracts isn't easy though.