Huawei and ZTE excluded from Japanese procurement for security reasons
The US and the UK are concerned over ties between the two companies and China’s intelligence services. Beijing slams Canada for Sabrina Meng Wangzhou's arrest and criticises the "inhumane" conditions in which she is being held.
Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Japanese government decided on Monday to exclude Chinese telecommunication equipment giants Huawei Technologies and ZTE from public procurement for security reasons, joining other countries who have done the same.
The United States started things last summer by enacting a law that ban the use of Huawei and ZTE technology products, concerned about their links with China’s intelligence services.
Last week, British Telecom followed suit, excluding Huawei from its core 5G networks in Britain. This followed a warning from MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence service, that singled out the Chinese company as a potential security risk.
Huawei has always denied having links with Chinese intelligence. And, in the past, it has been accused of stealing Western technology and undermining rival companies by slashing the prices of its products.
However, according to some industry insiders, Huawei is currently investing more than its competitors in research and development. And not everyone in the West has turned against it. Last week, it signed a deal with Altice Portugal to upgrade its 5G network. Italy has also been involved for some time with the Chinese giant.
The exclusion of Huawei and ZTE from some countries represents a new chapter in the trade war between the United States and China.
Last week, Canada detained Huawei deputy chairwoman Sabrina Meng Wanzhou (pictured), following a request by the United States.
She is accused of business dealings with Iran, violating the sanctions imposed on Iran from 2009 to 2014. Arrested in Vancouver on 1st December, she could be extradited to the United States and sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
Reacting to this, Chinese authorities today accused Canada of failing to inform them in time of Meng’s arrest and of placing her in “inhumane” conditions.
ZTE, China's second largest telecommunications producer, was fined in 2017 for selling technology to Iran.
Last April the US banned ZTE products because the company traded with North Korea and Iran and banned the export of US components to ZTE, which was forced to close some production lines.
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04/03/2019 09:50
28/05/2020 09:33
