MOFA: Gov'ts should not put unfair pressure on enterprises

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China urged the U.S. to stop unjustified crackdown on Chinese enterprises, including Huawei, and to provide a fair environment for mutual investment and cooperation, Geng Shuang, spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said at a regular presser Monday.

A recent report "America Pushes Allies to Fight Huawei in New Arms Race With China" by The New York Times said the U.S. government secretly pressed allies last year to join forces to stop Huawei from participating in global 5G networks. The MOFA reiterated its position.

"A country has the right to safeguard its information security. But it cannot, under the pretext of security, harm or even stifle the legitimate operation of enterprises. All countries should be vigilant and resist that," Geng said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang speaks at the daily news briefing, January 28, 2019. /CCTV Photo

He quoted from the report that "Mr. Trump's views, combined with a lack of hard evidence implicating Huawei in any espionage, have prompted some countries to question whether America's campaign is really about national security or if it is aimed at preventing China from gaining a competitive edge."

Geng also quoted, "So far, the fear swirling around Huawei is almost entirely theoretical. Current and former American officials whisper that classified reports implicate the company in possible Chinese espionage but have produced none publicly."

The spokesman stressed that "facts speak louder than words."