Huawei says accusations it poses national security concerns are ‘groundless and unfair’
US lawmakers have raised concerns that Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government pose a potential national security threat, which the company has denied.
A top executive at Huawei Technologies said that accusations by the US that there are security concerns using its products are “groundless and unfair.”
Australian media earlier reported that Huawei’s participation in the country’s new 5G mobile phone networks will require a full national security assessment despite it being included in a key government advisory body, due to concerns by US national security agencies.
Ken Hu Houkun, Huawei’s chief executive, told reporters in Barcelona that the Shenzhen-based company has provided products and services to more than 400 telecom operators globally and treats security as one of its top priorities.
“It is not fair to us if our strong track record of security of the past 30 years has been disregarded while the accusation (of Huawei’s security concern) is only based on groundless suspicion,” he said during a media briefing at the Mobile World Congress.
The Australian Financial Review reported last week that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was briefed on US concerns about Chinese involvement in 5G networks during a meeting with the heads of the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security in the US.
Turnbull was told of the security risks posed by Huawei’s potential involvement and noted Beijing’s cyber espionage was among the “top two” risks on the US-Australia cybersecurity agenda, according to the report.