The Trump administration is warning allies to stay away from a powerful Chinese company — but not everyone's listening

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• The US and Chinese phone giant Huawei are at each other’s throats.
• America claims Huawei is used as a backdoor for the Chinese government to spy. Huawei denies this.
• The US has been lobbying allies to reject Huawei’s 5G technology, but not everyone’s listening.

The tension between the US and Huawei has reached fever pitch over claims the Chinese tech company acts as a backdoor for the Chinese government to spy.

The US gave a defence briefing at Mobile World Congress in Feburary, in which it called the Chinese phone giant “duplicitous and deceitful.”

Read more: Here’s a close-up look at Huawei’s $2,600 folding phone, the Mate X

Meanwhile, Huawei chairman Guo Ping lashed out at the US while presenting at MWC, saying it has “no evidence, nothing,” that the firm spied on behalf of the Chinese government. It used the tech show to parade its 5G network ambitions, including debuting its foldable 5G phone, the Mate X.

The US has been furiously lobbying its allies to freeze out Huawei’s 5G network equipment, citing national security concerns. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned allied countries in mid-February that it would be “more difficult” for the US to partner with countries that didn’t distance themselves from Huawei.

Its lobbying efforts have been met with mixed success. Here is a run-down of how allies have reacted.

SEE ALSO: A bipartisan group of senators want the Trump administration to deal another blow to Chinese tech giant Huawei

Britain

Multiple reports surfaced on April 24 that Prime Minister Theresa May had given the order allowing Huawei to build “non-core” parts of the UK’s 5G infrastructure. 

The Financial Times reported in February that the British government decided it could “mitigate the risks” associated with using Huawei’s 5G technology, and in the same month head of GCHQ Jeremy Fleming said the UK had to be wary of the security threats posed by Chinese tech companies.

In March, Britain’s government-led board in charge of vetting Huawei criticised the company’s mobile network equipment for “major [security] defects,” but added that it did not believe the defects were the result of state interference, but rather poor engineering.

In an interview with the BBC, Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei hinted that the UK could benefit from the vacuum left by the US. 

“We will invest even more in the UK. Because if the US doesn’t trust us, then we will shift our investment from the US to the UK on an even bigger scale,” he said.

Canada

Canada’s relationship with the US has been a major factor in its battle with Huawei. In December, Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver. The Canadian government approved Meng’s extradition in March, prompting rage from China. Meng is suing Canada over her arrest, claiming her rights were violated.

On the issue of 5G however, Canada’s stance remains uncertain. Sources told Bloomberg in January that the Canadian government was conducting a security review, and was months away from reaching a decision about whether to restrict or ban Huawei.

China’s ambassador to Canada Lu Shaye issued a warning in January, saying he believed there would be “repercussions” if the country froze Huawei out.

In February, the New York Times reported that Huawei was trying to woo Canada, becoming a prominent sponsor of the sports show “Hockey Night.”

Germany

Several unnamed German officials told The Wall Street Journal in February that Germany was leaning towards allowing Huawei to take part in building 5G networks in the country.

Officials told the Journal that the agreement was preliminary, and still had to be approved by the full cabinet and Parliament, which won’t happen for several weeks.

The Wall Street Journal reported in March that the US ambassador had upped the pressure on Germany. In  letter to the country’s economics minister, the ambassador warned that if the country allowed Huawei or other Chinese partners to take part in its 5G plans, the US would have to reduce the amount of information it shares with German security forces.

Just days later, Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germany would set its own security standards for 5G.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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