22nd January, 2019
Huawei’s mobile network technology poses no risks to international security, the embattled Chinese telecommunications giant’s Germany chief said in Southern China on Tuesday.
Dennis Zuo said in Huawei’s cybersecurity lab in the city of Dongguan, which was opened to German journalists amid a charm offensive by the company that Huawei products are just like a brick.
“You build it according to a standard. You cannot say that the security of a house depends on that brick,” Zuo said.
In Germany, there is currently debate about the use of Huawei technology in the construction of a 5G mobile network, for which licences are expected to be handed out early this year.
Huawei is the world’s largest maker of cellular-tower electronics and other telecommunications equipment and has contracts for the construction of 5G networks in 30 countries.
In the U.S., Huawei has been denied market access due to security concerns, and Washington has been urging countries including Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Norway to follow its lead.
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei told U.S. newsmen recently that Chinese authorities had never asked his company to spy on clients.
Meanwhile, Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou – Ren’s daughter, is currently out on bail in Canada as she awaits possible extradition to the U.S. on bank fraud charges linked to violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran.
Also in Poland, a sales manager for Huawei was arrested earlier this month on charges of spying on behalf of Chinese secret services, whereas Huawei has fired the employee.