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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street in London on Thursday. Pompeo was discussing Johnson’s decision earlier this week to allow Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies to take part in the development of Britain’s 5G network. Photo: AP

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calls Chinese Communist Party the ‘central threat of our times’

  • Pompeo in London for talks with British PM Boris Johnson about Huawei’s inclusion in UK’s 5G network providers
  • Pompeo restates US stand that Huawei systems could transfer national security information to Chinese intelligence agencies
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The US sees the Chinese Communist Party as the “central threat of our times”, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the nation’s top diplomat, said on Thursday.

Pompeo made the remark in London during a visit to speak with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the country’s decision earlier this week to allow Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies to take part in the development of its 5G network.

During a joint appearance with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Pompeo also stressed that Western allies must “ensure that the next century is governed by … Western democratic principles”.

Washington maintains that Huawei represents a security threat not only to the US but to all Western nations, contending that its systems – particularly its next-generation 5G telecoms networks – could be used by Beijing for espionage.

Despite the US campaign urging its allies to ban Huawei, Britain has chosen to let Huawei take part in noncore components of its 5G network, though it has capped Huawei’s market share at 35 per cent. Pompeo has called on the government to review its decision.

“When you allow the information of your citizens or the national security information of your citizens to transit a network that the Chinese Communist Party has a legal mandate to obtain, it creates risk,” Pompeo told reporters.

Huawei and Chinese officials have repeatedly denied that the company poses a spying threat.

Huawei denies German report it colluded with Chinese intelligence

Pompeo has levelled much criticism at China before, but his condemnation of the Communist Party was made just a day after he spoke with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi by telephone to pledge US support against the new coronavirus outbreak that has ravaged China.

Pompeo posted on Twitter on Wednesday that the No 1 priority for the US was to protect its citizens and that it would “spare no effort” to help China contain the outbreak.

Last week, US President Donald Trump also painted a less tense relationship with China in the aftermath of completing a phase one trade deal, saying that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping “love each other” and that the two countries would start a new round of trade negotiations.

Trump has also said the US would “offer China any help that is necessary” in containing the coronavirus outbreak.

Britain approves Huawei’s limited use in 5G networks

Regarding Huawei, while Pompeo has repeated said that intelligence sharing with Britain would be hampered if Huawei is allowed into its 5G market, Pompeo backed off that on Thursday, saying that the Five Eyes – the intelligence alliance involving the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – was intact.

The US-Britain intelligence-sharing “relationship is deep, it is strong, it will remain”, Pompeo said.

Additional reporting by Reuters 

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