More troubles for Huawei over spying allegations in Poland
The telecom giant has its European headquarters in Poland. The United Kingdom, Germany and France are putting on hold Huawei technologies over allegations of links with China’s secret services. Companies linked to Huawei are said to have violated the embargo against Iran and Syria.
Beijing (AsiaNews) – Poland has arrested a Chinese businessman working for Huawei in Poland over allegations of spying. His name has not been released. A Polish national working in the telecom industry has also been arrested in connection with the case.
The affair will weigh heavily on the future of Huawei's development in Europe, where several governments are very suspicious of the links between the Chinese telecom giant and the Chinese secret services. For Huawei, the case is that more serious since its European headquarters are located in Poland.
Sino-Polish relations have been strong for decades and bilateral economic ties have been boosted in recent years by the Belt and Road project.
However, the United States, which has led the charge against Huawei and Chinese security services, banned its products and those of ZTE last summer, followed by Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Even the United Kingdom has warned against the use of Huawei products and has cut back on using the Chinese giant’s technology to develop 5G connections. Germany and France have equally expressed doubts over the company.
Huawei, which has always denied links with China’s secret services, has been accused in the past of stealing technology from Western firms and undermining rivals with bargain priced products.
However, for industry experts, Huawei is currently investing in research and development more than its competitors.
The arrest of Meng Wangzhou, daughter of the company's founder, who is accused of violating US sanctions against Iran and Syria, is contributing to greater suspicions vis-à-vis Huawei. Meng and Huawei have steadfastly denied the allegations.
Whilst Meng is out on bail in Canada, Reuters has published documents about the company that show the names of two individuals connected to Huawei who have been involved with Iran and Syria.
The documents indicate that a high-level Huawei executive was appointed Skycom’s manager in Iran. The latter has conducted transactions with Iran and China.
A lawyer also noted that Huawei took part in operations in Syria through another company, Canicula.
US authorities working on Meng's extradition said that Skycom and Canicula are linked to Huawei. If convicted, Meng Wangzhou could get up to 30 years in prison.
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28/05/2019 13:11
02/10/2020 12:42
