Huawei lashes Australia’s attitude to Asian business

With no sign of its 5G ban being overturned, Huawei has taken to lecturing Australia about its attitude to Asia.

Huawei Australia chairman John Lord. Picture Gary Ramage

Huawei Australia chairman John Lord has warned that Canberra’s hostility against the Chinese telecoms equipment maker could stifle the growth of Australia’s economy, with the Morrison government ‘mischievously’ overplaying the risk posed by its kit.

Huawei has been banned from participating in the rollout of 5G networks in Australia, a move that has since galvanised opposition against the Chinese company in the United States and Canada.

“It hardly needs to be said that what we are seeing [in Australia] at the moment from an Asian perspective is exactly the opposite to the kind of business environment that we need to see,” said in his Charles Todd Oration speech to the Telecommunications Association in Sydney.

While the Morrison government has ruled out overturning the Huawei ban, the Chinese company’s Australian arm is continuing to plead its case publicly.

Mr Lord’s comments on Wednesday come on the heels of a stern rebuke issued by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which accused Australia of “disgraceful and immoral conduct” in agitating against the use of Huawei’s equipment.

According to Mr Lord, by banning Huawei the Australian government was shutting the door to the innovation coming out of Asia and the market opportunity the region presents to Australian companies.

“Australia is a country of between 25 million and 30 million people located at the bottom of the world — it needs to have access to and to use all of the leading innovation and technology being produced globally,” he said.

“It needs to embrace solutions that address security, the economy and strategic relationships rather than solely the security perspective which is presently being mischievously overplayed and which is unbalancing the debate on our national interests in the future.”

Mr Lord added that the adversarial approach taken towards Huawei and China betrayed an old mindset, one that was no longer relevant.

“The number one thing we need to see established between Australia and the new emerging companies from Asia is trust,” he said.

“The fact is that Asia is no longer simply about mass producing cheap consumer goods, it is now moving to a different plane and is producing cutting-edge technology across a range of fields.”

“The Huawei story of today will be a common story across Asia, not just in China, but in the many other countries who will grow and develop in coming years

“As a country it is critically important that we understand that,” he said.