Is Huawei China’s top spying organisation or one of its most successful corporations?

The Huawei spy thriller is gaining a wider audience, London’s The Times, Saturday:

Defence Secretary (Gavin Williamson) has become the first cabinet minister to speak out against the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei as it emerged today that President Trump is considering a ban on US firms using the company’s products. The Ministry of Defence fears that Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s next-generation mobile network will enable Chinese spying. Williamson said he had grave and “very deep concerns” about the organisation providing technology to upgrade Britain’s ser­vices to superfast 5G. He indicated that a full review of security risks would be needed as he accused Beijing of acting sometimes in a malign way.

China responds with a literary reference, The Times, Saturday:

China has accused the UK of har­bouring “deep-rooted pride and prejudice” about telecoms giant Huawei that have led to security fears about the company. The chairman of Huawei also complained about what he said had been “incredibly unfair treatment” of his company abroad. He said the experience would serve only to motivate it to become the ­global leader in the sector.

The ABC prises open the lid, Friday:

Several nations are concerned China’s government can use Huawei equipment to spy. Australia and New Zealand have banned Huawei from 5G rollouts … Huawei’s chairman says the “setbacks” will drive them “to ­become the world’s number one”.

Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, Friday:

Britain has identified Australia and the US as leaders in dealing with the threat to national security posed by Huawei.

Ticky Fullerton, The Weekend Australian, December 15:

Five months ago, the top spooks of the Western world, representing the Five Eyes nations of Canada, the US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, gathered secretly in Ottawa to discuss just what to do about China’s expansionism in the South China Sea and the rise in state-sponsored cyber-hacking … Key to these discussions was to ban Huawei.

What kicked off this flurry? The Wall Street Journal, December 14:

Spy chiefs from the West’s most powerful intelligence alliance agreed in a July meeting in Canada they needed to contain Huawei … Soon ­afterwards, in an unprecedented campaign, some of the chiefs began to speak out publicly about the risks ­associated with Chinese-made gear — especially to next-generation 5G mobile networks … Five Eyes members have long had differing levels of concern over Huawei and other Chinese equipment makers. They have also differed sharply in their tolerance for Huawei, in particular, as a supplier to their national telecommunication carriers. The US has all but banned Huawei gear.

Philip Bowring, The South China Morning Post, December 23:

China should have been able to use the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou to its own advantage. ­Instead, its reaction has again shown an underlying arrogance and ethnocentricity, which is being noticed around Asia and in the West.

The Guardian, December 9:

Concerns about Huawei seem to emanate … from the history of its founder, Ren Zhengfei, who has long had ties with the People’s Liberation Army and the Communist Party … Huawei has never been able to dispel the cloud of suspicion that hangs over Ren and his creation.