China calls Australia's Huawei ban 'act of prejudice'

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The Australian government's ban on Chinese telecom firm Huawei supplying equipment for the country's planned 5G mobile network is "setting artificial barriers" and "conducting discriminatory practices," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Thursday.

The Australian government said in an emailed statement earlier on Thursday that national security regulations typically applied to telecom carriers would now be extended to equipment suppliers.

Firms "who are likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government" would leave the nation's network vulnerable to unauthorized access or interference, and presented a security risk, the statement said.

It did not identify the Chinese firm specifically, but an Australian government official said the order was aimed at Huawei and precluded its involvement in the network.

At Thursday's regular press conference, Lu Kang said the Chinese government is deeply concerned about the statement.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang at a regular press conference, August 23, 2018. /CCTV Photo

"The cooperation between China and Australia is beneficial to both sides. China urges Australia to abandon ideological prejudices and provide a level playing field for Chinese companies."

He added that Australia is supposed to provide convenience for business cooperation between the two countries, which is also in line with the interests of Australian industries and consumers.

Lu also mentioned that the Chinese government always encourages Chinese companies to cooperate with foreign counterparts on the base of obeying international rules and local laws.

Huawei's Australian arm, said on Twitter on Wednesday that the action was an "extremely disappointing result for consumers," with some replies raising questions about network service quality and technology development without Huawei being involved in the market.

Huawei Australia's response to the government's ban /Screenshot of twitter

Australia had previously banned Huawei, the world's largest maker of telecommunications network gear, from providing equipment for its fiber-optic network and moved to block it from laying submarine cables in the Pacific.

This move brings Australia in line with the US, which has restricted Huawei and ZTE Corp from its market for similar reasons.

(Top image: A Huawei shop in Singapore, August 8, 2018. /Reuters Photo)

(With inputs from Reuters)