Envoys: Fabricated accusation against Huawei harmful to competition

World
Europe

Senior Chinese diplomats in Europe have slammed the "groundless" accusation against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, stressing that the firm does not pose a threat to any country.

An op-ed by Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to Britain, was published Saturday on The Telegraph website with the title "Don't listen to the scaremongers – Huawei is not a security threat to Britain."

Days earlier on Tuesday, Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union (EU), told The Financial Times "someone is sparing no effort to fabricate a security story of Huawei" that goes against free and fair competition.

In the article, Liu said there was "needless anxiety" regarding Huawei as well as "a ban in some countries" on companies such as the Chinese giant.

"If left unchecked, they could disrupt market rules, undermine company confidence, poison business cooperation, and cause uncertainties and instabilities in the world economy," he wrote.

The senior diplomat said Huawei UK has made an important contribution to the economic and social progress of its host country over the past five years by bringing two billion pounds to Britain through investment and procurement and creating 7,500 jobs, making a name for itself as a provider of high-quality products and services.

From the UK, he wrote, Huawei has expanded its global reach and adapted to international standards, while in the future, it has much to contribute to the long-term development of Britain's telecommunications industry.

"Having pledged a further three billion pounds to investment and procurement in the UK in the coming five years, Huawei will continue to play an active role in IT application in this country – a vote of confidence in the economic prospects of the UK as it leaves the EU," Liu said.

"To make this vote count, the UK must remain committed to openness and cooperation and provide a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Huawei and other Chinese enterprises."

Contrary to the claim that it posed a threat to the country, Liu said, Huawei has made relentless efforts to provide global solutions to maintaining cybersecurity. "The Chinese Government has never supported cyber theft by any company, nor is anyone authorized by law or regulation to force enterprises to install backdoors."

Citing the fact that, over the past 30 years there has never been any evidence showing that Huawei has ever done anything to undermine the national security of any country, the ambassador called on Britain to "pursue an independent policy based on its national interests, instead of drifting along with others."

To answer the question of "how to respond to the hyped allegation against Huawei," Liu said, "I believe the UK has to decide whether it wants to see China's development as an opportunity or a threat."

According to the edited transcript of an interview with The Financial Times provided by the Chinese mission to the EU on Sunday night, Zhang said he does not think the security story of Huawei "has anything to do with security, and the so-called security concerns are not supported by any fact or evidence."

"Rather I believe that it is an act of protectionism with a political sense. That indicates a pushback against globalization," Zhang said.

"Such a move is trying to turn a business issue into a political one or even a security one indiscriminately, and that completely violates the principles of free and fair competition."

Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices, including in the so-called 5G area.

Zhang said the 5G technology is a product of global open cooperation. It is an outcome of high-tech innovation by the international community and a good thing for the whole world.

"The global industrial, supply and value chains are highly intertwined in this area and cannot be artificially and deliberately cut by anyone," he said.

(Top image via VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency