The British Parliament’s Defence Committee says it has found clear evidence that telecommunications giant Huawei colluded with the Chinese state and said the United Kingdom may need to remove all of the firm’s equipment earlier than planned.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in July ordered Huawei equipment to be purged from the country’s nascent 5G network by the end of 2027. US President Donald Trump claimed credit for the British decision.
“The West must urgently unite to advance a counterweight to China’s tech dominance,” Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Defence Committee, said. “We must not surrender our national security for the sake of short-term technological development.”
The committee did not go into detail about the exact nature of the ties but said it had seen clear evidence of Huawei collusion with “the Chinese Communist Party apparatus”.
Huawei said the report lacked credibility.
“It is built on opinion rather than fact. We’re sure people will see through these groundless accusations of collusion and remember instead what Huawei has delivered for Britain over the past 20 years,” a Huawei spokesman said.
Trump identifies China as the United States’ main geopolitical rival, and has accused the Communist Party-ruled state of taking advantage over trade and not telling the truth over the novel coronavirus outbreak, which he calls the “China plague”.
Washington and its allies say Huawei technology could be used to spy for China. Huawei has repeatedly denied this and says the US is simply jealous of its success.
British ministers say the rise to global dominance of Huawei, founded in 1987 by a former People’s Liberation Army engineer, has caught the West off-guard.
The Defence Committee said it supported Johnson’s decision to eventually purge Huawei from 5G but noted that “developments could necessitate this date being moved forward, potentially to 2025 which could be considered economically feasible”.
Latest Stories
-
Damongo: About 400 NPP Members resign over Minister’s alleged meddling in chieftaincy affairs
25 mins -
Next NDC government will pay special attention to women – Naana Opoku-Agyemang
34 mins -
Amerado is singing and it’s good he’s doing that – Lyrical Joe
43 mins -
NDC government will establish a Women’s Development Bank – Prof Opoku-Agyemang
50 mins -
My selection is an affirmation of your belief in women – Naana Opoku tells Mahama
56 mins -
Our ticket will be a pair of experienced individuals – Mahama assures
1 hour -
NDC officially outdoors Prof Naana Opoku-Agyemang as running mate
1 hour -
+233 hosts Int. Jazz Day concert on April 30
1 hour -
Farmer arraigned over threat of death
2 hours -
Education Minister unveils new uniforms for basic schools
2 hours -
8th Ghana CEO Summit scheduled for May 27
2 hours -
Leaked intimate video has severely embarrassed me; I’m sorry – Serwaa Amihere
2 hours -
Poll results alone don’t constitute victory for any political party- Asiedu Nketia cautions NDC
4 hours -
Gyakie spills truth on her journey to fame
4 hours -
Energy sector CSOs challenge Akufo-Addo to transparent value for money audit of SML contract
4 hours