MOSCOW (Sputnik) – UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson expressed grave concerns over the involvement of Chinese hi-tech giant Huawei in the United Kingdom’s 5G network, suggesting Beijing sometimes acted “in a malign way.”
“I have grave, very deep concerns about Huawei providing the 5G network in Britain. It’s something we’d have to look at very closely … We’ve got to look at what partners such as Australia and the US are doing in order to ensure that they have the maximum security of that 5G network and we’ve got to recognize the fact, as has been recently exposed, the Chinese state does sometimes act in a malign way,” Williamson said as quoted by the Daily Mail newspaper.
Williamson’s remark followed a recent statement of Alex Younger, the head of the UK Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), who argued that London should decide how comfortable the dependence on Chinese technology in developing the 5G network is for the United Kingdom.
Huawei has recently faced allegations that it had been linked to the Chinese government. Earlier this year, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States have banned the Chinese telecommunications giant from participating in government contracts. Additionally, FBI Director Christopher Wray has suggested that Huawei might provide the capacity for the Chinese government to carry out “undetected espionage.”
Moreover, in November, the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States had been urging its allies to abandon the use of Huawei due to security concerns.
Meanwhile, Huawei said it would continue building competitiveness in creating 5G networks despite the crisis of confidence from the West.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
