Ex-CIA chief Hayden claims Huawei spies for Chinese state
The former head of the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency Michael Hayden said on Friday it “goes without saying” that Chinese telecoms giant Huawei spies for Beijing.
Michael Hayden, the former head of the CIA and National Security Agency, said yesterday it "goes without saying" that Chinese telecoms giant Huawei spies for Beijing.
Huawei, however, strongly denied Hayden's allegations.
Speaking to the Australian Financial Review, Hayden claimed China was engaged in unrestricted espionage against the West and said it was his belief that Huawei would have shared information with state agencies.
Huawei meets the communication needs of more than a third of the planet and our customers have the right to know what these unsubstantiated concerns are
Asked whether Huawei represented an unambiguous national security threat to the US and Australia, Hayden replied: "Yes, I believe it does."
Britain, the US and Australia have all raised concerns that Huawei's alleged ties to the Chinese state could see their telecoms infrastructure used for spying and cyberattacks.
Huawei's global cybersecurity officer John Suffolk, who has previously described the company as the "piggy in the middle" of the broader dispute over hacking between China and the United States, reportedly dismissed Hayden's comments. as tired, unsubstantiated and defamatory.
"It's time to put up or shut up," said Suffolk. Huawei's global cyber security officer, told the newspaper.
He described the comments made by Hayden as "tired, unsubstantiated defamatory remarks" and challenged him and other critics to present any evidence publicly.