The U.S. has banned Huawei as a security risk,
claiming it could give the Chinese government
access to data, and has threatened to sever
intelligence-sharing with countries that don’t
follow suit. Huawei denies that China uses its
equipment for spying.
Johnson’s government insists it can manage any
risk Huawei poses. It says “high risk” companies
such as Huawei will be barred from supplying the
sensitive “core” parts of the new networks. But
Britain will allow high risk suppliers to provide up
to 35% of a carrier’s less risky radio network.
Conservative legislator Iain Duncan Smith, who
helped draft Tuesday’s amendment, noted that
other key U.K. allies such as Australia had also
barred Huawei over security fears.
“How is it that we are right and everybody else is
wrong?” he said. “The reality is that we are alone
in this matter.”
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden tried to reassure
colleagues, saying the government wanted to
reduce the 35% threshold for Huawei further.
“We want to get to a position where we do not
have to use high risk vendors in our telecoms
networks at all,” he said, without setting a date.
The Conservative rebellion increases pressure on
the government to limit Huawei’s role when it
introduces new legislation on telecoms security
later this year.
Huawei Vice President Victor Zhang said he
was “disappointed to hear some groundless
accusations asserted” during Tuesday’s debate.
He said the British government’s decision was
“an evidence-based decision that will result in
a more advanced, more secure and more cost-
effective telecoms infrastructure.”