London's decision to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to participate in the building of the UK's 5G network could become a deal breaker in possible trade negotiations with Washington, US Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th February, 2020) London's decision to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to participate in the building of the UK's 5G network could become a deal breaker in possible trade negotiations with Washington, US Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview on Friday.
Last month, London green-lighted Huawei's role in developing the UK's national 5G network despite Washington's repeated warnings that it would put bilateral intelligence-sharing at risk.
"We'll see," Pence told CNBC when asked if the decision could be a deal-breaker. "We are profoundly disappointed... we just don't believe that utilizing the assets and technologies of Huawei is consistent with the security or privacy interests of the UK, [or] of the United States."
The Trump administration was prepared to negotiate a trade deal with London the moment the UK exited the EU, Pence said, but the use of Huawei "remains a real issue between our two countries."
In late January, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Chinese telecom companies should be banned from 5G networks of the United States' European allies. Huawei featured prominently in Pompeo's meetings with senior UK officials this week, according to the State Department.
The UK has said Huawei's role will be excluded from all safety-related networks and sensitive geographic locations, such as nuclear sites and military bases. In addition, the access of Huawei and other "high risk vendors" to non-sensitive parts of the network will be capped at 35 percent.
