Taiwan says there is no plan for a total ban on Huawei products
- But government sector will continue to be blocked from using equipment from the mainland telecoms giant, according to cabinet spokeswoman
Taiwan on Tuesday said a ban on the government sector using equipment from mainland Chinese telecoms firms would continue, but rejected calls by lawmakers to entirely block the use of Huawei Technologies products on the island.
“There is no law for an overall ban on Huawei products in Taiwan and people here are free to buy or install any of Huawei’s products at their own risk,” cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said.
But government departments cannot use any equipment provided by mainland telecoms firms, including Huawei and ZTE, she said.
“The restriction on government departments installing such equipment has been in place for a long time because of security concerns, and it has nothing to do with the latest developments,” Kolas said, adding the authorities would have to take various factors into account in considering a broader ban on Huawei products and those of other mainland telecoms firms.
“We don’t have any plan at the moment to impose a [total] ban,” she said.
Government departments have been barred from using mainland telecoms equipment since 2013. But the arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou in Canada on December 1 has fuelled security concerns in Taiwan, and legislators have called for a total ban on the company’s products.