Donald Trump would have ‘no problem’ with Huawei receiving a limited role in Britain’s 5G development plans
- ‘We are going to have absolutely an agreement on Huawei,’ US president says alongside British PM Teresa May
- China trade-war friction won’t disrupt British-American relations, he promises
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has “no problem” with a possible plan by the British government to give Chinese telecoms giant Huawei a limited role in developing Britain’s next-generation 5G mobile development technology, despite the US government’s trade war with China.
Speaking alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump dismissed suggestions that the trade war would force Washington to limit US intelligence sharing with London, if Huawei were allowed into the British market.
“No, because we are going to have absolutely an agreement on Huawei and anything else,” Trump told reporters at a news conference at Britain’s Foreign Office.
“We have an incredible intelligence relationship. We will be able to work out any differences,” the president said, adding that he and the British leader “did discuss it [Huawei]” in their meeting.
The May-chaired National Security Council concluded last month that Huawei could build some parts of Britain’s 5G networks, but the move was subject to a final decision by the government.
The US government’s move last month to put Huawei on an “entity list”, requiring US companies to obtain a licence to sell components to the Chinese suppler, added complexity to an already complicated conversation. It contends that Huawei’s devices pose a security risk, because of the company’s ties to the Chinese government.