Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš hits back at Chinese diplomats’ Huawei and ZTE claims
- Andrej Babiš says he ‘does not know what ambassador is talking about’ after embassy says he told diplomats that ban on Huawei and ZTE equipment was a mistake
- Czech cybersecurity agency issues national security warning about using equipment from Chinese tech giants
The Czech prime minister has hit back at the Chinese embassy in Prague after it claimed he said he did not want to ban products made by Huawei and ZTE.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said on Thursday that he took warnings about the two Chinese telecoms giants from the country’s cybersecurity watchdog “very seriously” and denied that he had told diplomats that the ban was a mistake.
“I do not know what the ambassador is talking about. His communication is … very unusual,” Czech Radio, a nation public broadcaster, quoted Babiš as saying.
The saga unfolded after the Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency on December 17 warned against using Huawei and ZTE , saying they posed a national security threat.
Babiš subsequently announced that employees of the Czech government central administrative body would be barred from using Huawei and ZTE products, a ban copied by several other government ministries.