Beijing does not rule out the possibility of preventing two European telecommunications giants, Nokia and Ericsson, from exporting their products manufactured in China to other countries if the bloc chooses to follow in Washington's and London's footsteps to ban Huawei from 5G networks, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Monday, citing informed sources
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2020) Beijing does not rule out the possibility of preventing two European telecommunications giants, Nokia and Ericsson, from exporting their products manufactured in China to other countries if the bloc chooses to follow in Washington's and London's footsteps to ban Huawei from 5G networks, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Monday, citing informed sources.
Huawei has come under increasing attacks from the US and UK over security and privacy fears. The Chinese firm is ahead of the pack in 5G technology development, which is seen by many as the main driver of US counteractions.
According to the media outlet, this is the worst-case scenario for Beijing. Yet, China will not retaliate if European countries continue cooperating with Beijing and refrain from banning Chinese suppliers from their 5G networks.
While Washington and London's position on Huawei is clear, the EU countries have not yet decided whether to allow the Chinese tech giant to develop its 5G networks or not.
The WSJ noted that the bloc was expected to publish a report in the near future, outlining the 27 member states' individual handling of the 5G cybersecurity recommendations issued in January.
Last week, UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden said that the UK government would ban Huawei-produced equipment for 5G networks at the end of the year.
In addition, UK mobile providers will have to completely remove Huawei equipment from the country's 5G networks by 2027. According to Dowden, this decision was made due to national security considerations and sanctions imposed by the United States against Huawei.
In late June, Huawei was given the approval to begin work on an optoelectronic research and development center in the UK city of Cambridge. The company said it plans to invest $1.2 billion into the site, which will create roughly 400 jobs.
The United Kingdom is one of several states that have introduced restrictions against Huawei after the United States imposed sanctions on the company due to allegations that the company was working with the Chinese government. Huawei has rejected the claims as unjustified and politically motivated and says they contradict competitive practices.
