Update | Bilateral talks may resolve Huawei workers’ ‘espionage’ immigration spat

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Huawei and ZTE had suffered from a backlash in North America since 2012, after a report from the United States House of Representatives Intelligence Committee declared that the two firms posed a threat to US security and should be barred from the market. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 10:45pm, 5 May 2016Updated: 9:27am, 6 May 2016

A bilateral dialogue between Beijing and Ottawa could help allay concerns about spying levelled by Canadian authorities on the immigration applications of two Chinese employees of Huawei Technologies, an expert said.

“If there are genuine concerns of espionage, and if there is genuine evidence to support these concerns, then governments should communicate,” said Paul Haswell, a partner at international law firm Pinsent Masons.

The South China Morning Post reported yesterday that Canadian immigration officials have cited the risk of espionage as they prepared to reject the immigration applications of the two Huawei employees, the first such cases to emerge amid a swirl of unsubstantiated security concerns about the Shenzhen-based telecommunications equipment manufacturer.

Victor Lum, vice-president at Well Trend United, the two applicants’ immigration consultant, said it was the first time Huawei employees are being singled out in such a manner. The procedural fairness letters gave the applicants 30 days to respond.

“Huawei cannot substantiate any speculative allegations on any independent person’s application to emmigrate to Canada or any other country,” a Huawei spokesman told the Post.

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.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Update | Bilateral talks may resolve Huawei workers’ ‘espionage’ immigration spat

Update | Bilateral talks may resolve Huawei workers’ ‘espionage’ immigration spat