Back in November last year, months after US government agencies and contractors had been banned from using certain tech from Huawei and other Chinese companies, the US reportedly advised allied countries not to use Huawei’s 5G equipment. Any that disagreed could see their intelligence sharing with the US limited.
A US official has said the UK and any other western countries that adopt Huawei technology for 5G mobile phone networks risk affecting intelligence cooperation with the United States.
The escalation of the rhetoric comes days after a leak indicated the UK was prepared to give Huawei the go-ahead to supply “non-core” infrastructure – a security measure that the US said on Monday would not work in practice.
As reported by The Guardian, Robert Strayer, a deputy assistant secretary at the US Department of State, said that the US “will have to reassess our ability to share be interconnected and share information” if Huawei is deployed by the UK or other western countries. With the statement coming so soon after the leak, it’s assumed to be directed at the United Kingdom.
Strayer said that nations using Huawei technology in their communications networks risk handing China “a loaded gun.” The US has long accused the firm of spying on behalf of China’s government without any concrete evidence, and a recent CIA report claims it is funded by the country’s state security.
