US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns America might scale back European partnerships if countries continue business with Huawei
- Pompeo will take the same message to his next stop, Slovakia, on Tuesday, before heading to Poland
- He will wrap up the tour with brief stops in Belgium and Iceland
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that America might be forced to scale back certain operations in Europe and elsewhere if countries continue to do business with the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies.
Pompeo made the comments in Budapest on the first leg of a five-nation European tour during which he said he would raise American concerns about China and Russia’s growing influence in central Europe.
He said he also would discuss concerns about the rule of law, democracy and human rights in the region, particularly in Hungary, where nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been criticised for increasingly authoritarian rule.
On Huawei, which is a major player in Hungary, Pompeo said he would make the case to Orban and other officials that doing business with the company comes with significant risks for information security and privacy that could imperil cooperation with the United States.
US officials are deeply troubled by Huawei’s expansion in Europe, especially in Nato members including Hungary, where they believe it poses significant threats.