United Kingdom bans Huawei from its 5G network
Britain has banned Huawei from its 5G network, marking a huge new blow for the Chinese telco, as more nations shun it over security fears.
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Britain has banned Huawei from its 5G network, marking a huge new blow for the Chinese telco.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered Huawei equipment to be completely removed from Britain’s 5G network by the end of 2027, as the country prepares to leave the European Union.
The reversal, which comes after increased US sanctions against the Shenzhen-based firm, marks a major loss for the Chinese company, which has already been up-ended by the latest US restrictions.
The Trump administration has been urging all countries to shun Huawei, a leader in fifth-generation internet, calling the company an arm of the Chinese state.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government agreed to the ban after US sanctions blocked Huawei’s access to US chips.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Mr Johnson “got the complete right end of the stick” on Huawei but denied it was due to US pressure.
“I actually think they did this because their security team came to the same conclusion that ours has,” Mr Pompeo said.
“This information that tracks across these untrusted networks that are of Chinese origin will almost certainly end up in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said more countries are waking up to the telco’s threat to data privacy, and will be increasingly likely to shun it.
“Each country is going to make their decisions for their own country, but I think there’s a growing recognition everywhere that Huawei is a problem,” he told reporters from Paris. “Europe is awakening to the threat of China.”
He cited the country’s aggressive moves against Hong Kong as well as India in recent weeks as Western nations grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
He said he reiterated “strong evidence” of the links between Huawei, founded by a former Chinese army engineer, and the Chinese Communist Party, “and we’ve made that evidence available to our partners”.
“I don’t want to get into some of the more recent technical information that we were able to provide,” he said, but asked if that played into the British government’s decision this week, he answered “I think it did”.
“Our concern with 5G is that it is going to be very difficult to separate the core from the periphery, and that is the track the UK was on, and the UK has decided they now have to brick Huawei out completely,” he said.
Other countries including Australia, New Zealand and India have already taken a hard line against Huawei, and France and Italy have announced severe limits on its gear for 5G networks.
“I don’t think you’ll see much 5G Huawei in France and Italy,” Mr O’Brien said. “We’ll have to see about the others,” he said. “There’s not much we can offer in exchange because we’re not trying to sell US telecom equipment to other countries.
“But what we do get in return is that we know that we can rely on our partners, and exchange intelligence and exchange technology.”
BEIJING HITS BACK AT UK
Beijing lashed out overnight at Britain’s decision to ban Huawei equipment, saying London had become “America’s dupe” and vowing to take measures to protect the interests of Chinese companies.
“China will fully and solemnly assess this matter, and will take a series of necessary measures to safeguard Chinese companies’ legitimate rights and interests,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a routine briefing.
“Any decisions and actions (by Britain) must come at a cost,” Ms Hua said, without elaborating.
US officials hailed Britain’s decision, saying it showed a “growing international consensus” that Huawei and other companies allegedly linked to the Chinese state pose a threat to national security.
Ms Hua claimed London “(acted) in co-ordination with the US to discriminate against, suppress and eliminate” Huawei, and accused Britain of becoming “America’s dupe”.
Huawei has become a pivotal issue in the geopolitical war between China and the US, which claims that the firm poses a significant cybersecurity threat.
The US has also requested the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on fraud charges, worsening relations between China and Canada, where she is currently under house arrest.
Beijing suggested that Britain might face further repercussions for the move, and warned Chinese companies to think twice about investing there.
Over the past decade, successive UK governments have encouraged the growth of economic ties between Britain and China, which have become more crucial as London finalises its departure from the European Union.
“This is an issue that seriously threatens the security of Chinese investment in the UK, and is also a question of whether we can trust the UK market to remain open, fair and free from discrimination,” said Ms Hua.
“We have also reminded all Chinese enterprises to attach great importance to the increasing political security risks they face when conducting business in the UK.”
Originally published as United Kingdom bans Huawei from its 5G network