LONDON (UK) – UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered removing Huawei equipment completely from the country’s 5G network by 2027. Analysts feel this could invite the wrath of China, adding that the world’s largest telecoms equipment manufacturer is not welcome in the West.
As the country is slated to leave the EU, security concerns over Huawei prompted the prime minister to choose between the US and China.
Johnson has come under immense pressure from US President Trump. China warned the UK that billions in investment would be at risk if the country sides with the US.
Revoking a decision taken in January to allow Huawei to supply up to 35% of the non-core 5G network in the UK, the prime minister banned UK telecoms operators from purchasing equipment from the Chinese firm by the year-end and gave them a seven-year deadline to purge the existing gear.
“This has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one for the UK telecoms networks, for our national security and our economy, both now and indeed in the long run,” said digital minister Oliver Dowden in parliament.
“By the time of the next election, we will have implemented in law an irreversible path for the complete removal of Huawei equipment from our 5G networks”.
The new US sanctions on chip technology is the main reason behind the PM’s decision. Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre warned ministers that Huawei was not a reliable supplier.
Meanwhile, White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said the decision of the UK regarding Huawei mirrored a growing consensus that the Chinese company posed a threat to national security as they were “beholden to the Chinese Communist Party”.
Based on a legislation introduced in 2017 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, companies in the country are obliged to support and cooperate with China’s national intelligence work.
China’s ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said the UK prime minister’s decision was “disappointing and wrong”.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field
