China urges UK to keep Huawei in 5G development as US continues spying narrative

A Chinese ambassador has urged the UK not to be swayed by outside interests as it develops its 5G network amid a concentrated push by the US to pressure allies to drop tech giant Huawei from contracts over spying allegations.

Beijing’s comments come as the UK’s National Security Council decided on Tuesday to allow Huawei to participate in its 5G project. While Huawei will only be allowed to provide “non-core” infrastructure such as antennas, the decision divided many within Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet and the security apparatus, who fear the firm’s involvement could lead to spying by the Chinese.

Defending Huawei’s track record on network security in the Sunday Telegraph, China’s top diplomat to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, urged the UK to make such decisions “independently” and to “their national interests.” He warned that the last thing the world needs is “any sort of discriminatory measures” toward firms involved in 5G development.

The last thing China expects from a truly open and fair ‘global Britain’ is a playing field that is not level.

Lui called for countries and companies to “work together” in order to manage concerns over 5G security but said they shouldn’t be overblown. “The risks should be taken seriously but they must not be allowed to incite fear,” he noted.

The world’s largest provider of telecommunications equipment and expertise, Huawei has repeatedly denied accusations by the US that it has been using its technology to spy and steal information on behalf of Beijing. As well as banning Huawei from its own 5G development, Washington has also convinced New Zealand, Japan and Australia to follow suit.

However, European allies have been harder to convince. Last week, both Italy’s Giuseppe Conte and even European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker backed doing business with the company as long as they follow market rules. Huawei has also begun legal proceedings against the US government in a bid to overturn the ban preventing federal agencies from using its products.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!