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A growing number of countries are recognising the threat to data privacy from using mobile technology from the Chinese giant Huawei, and are likely to shun the company when building out their 5G networks, the top US security advisor said Wednesday.
"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," National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien told journalists in Paris.
His comments came after three days of talks with counterparts from France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain, which surprised many on Tuesday by banning Huawei entirely from its 5G rollout.
"Europe is awakening to the threat of China," O'Brien said, citing the country's aggressive moves against Hong Kong as well as India in recent weeks as Western nations grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite months of US pressure, other European nations have only imposed limits on using Huawei equipment for 5G or declined to do so, in part over fears of angering a major economic power.
Washington believes Huawei gear could give Chinese authorities a back door into networks that would allow it not only to spy on government secrets but also sweep up vast amounts of personal data.
"Imagine how a country like China could interfere with elections if they knew everything about every single person on earth," O'Brien said.
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," 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," he said.
China calls Britain 'America's dupe' for banning Huawei
Beijing (AFP) July 15, 2020 -
Beijing lashed out Wednesday 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.
The British government bowed to growing US pressure and pledged Tuesday to remove Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from its 5G network by 2027, despite warnings of retaliation from Beijing.
"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," 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.
Hua claimed London "(acted) in coordination 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 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."
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