“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.

But Trump, who was feted at a lavish state banquet in London, said the longstanding special relationship between the US and Britain made limits on intelligence sharing between the countries unnecessary, notwithstanding the months-long US-China trade battle.

“I see absolutely no limitations; we have never had any limitation,” he said. “This is a truly great ally and partner and we will have no problem with it.”

May did not comment on the issue during the news conference, which comes ahead of her impending resignation as the Conservative Party leader on Friday, after failing to come up with an deal to lead Britain out of the European Union.

She is to remain as prime minister until a successor is chosen.

Last month, May sacked her defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, blaming him for a leak that led to The Daily Telegraph reporting that the prime minister had overruled objections from some senior members of the security council, including Williamson, about allowing Huawei to build some elements in the “non-core” part of Britain’s fifth-generation, or 5G, cellular data network.

‘Special relationship’ tested as Trump arrives in UK for state visit

The US is racing with China to build the world’s first mass-market 5G wireless network.

With 5G data speeds estimated to be 20 times faster than current 4G networks, people in smart cities connected to the so-called Internet of Things will be able to perform a plethora of operations much more quickly on mobile platforms and devices.

For instance, downloading a full-length, high-definition movie could take just one second. 5G users also would have no difficulty connecting to their mobile provider in crowded places, such as in a packed outdoor concert.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month warned London that US might have to limit its intelligence sharing with Britain if Huawei were allowed to have a presence in British 5G development.

The Trump administration has been urging US allies to shun Huawei’s technology, saying that using Huawei’s technology might open the door to spying by Beijing.

“Insufficient security will impede the United States’ ability to share certain information within trusted networks,” Pompeo said. “This is just what China wants – to divide Western alliances. “What can Her Majesty’s government do to make sure sensitive technologies don’t become open doors for Beijing’s spymasters?”

‘No turbulence from US sanctions’ on Huawei’s aviation business

On the latest European trip this week, Pompeo asked his Dutch counterpart to push for a ban on the Chinese company, which is the world’s largest telecoms-equipment maker.

“We’ve been clear: our ask is that our allies and our partners and our friends don’t do anything that would endanger our shared security interests or restrict our ability to share sensitive information,” Pompeo said on Monday after meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok in The Hague.

He also warned Switzerland about its close business ties with China, telling local media that the neutral European country would expose itself to privacy breaches if it let Chinese companies help build its infrastructure.

The European Union is seeking input from its member states on the 5G issue.

Boris Johnson launches campaign to become next British PM

“I know Boris, I like him, I’ve liked him for a long time. I think he would do a very good job,” Trump told reporters . “I know Jeremy, I think he’d do a very good job,” he added.

The state visit, promised by May in January 2017 when she became the first foreign leader to meet Trump after he took office, had been cast as a chance to celebrate Britain’s “special relationship” with the United States, improve trade links and reaffirm security cooperation.

They spoke on Tuesday as thousands took to the streets of central London to protest everything from Trump’s sceptical views on climate change to his embrace of anti-abortion groups. Activists cheerfully ­inflated an orange blimp of a baby Trump dressed in a diaper outside parliament that brought morning rush hour traffic to a halt.

“Everything Trump stands for – misogyny, climate denying – everything about him is wrong,” marble restorer Steve Gray said. “His climate denying is unbelievable, his foreign policy, everything about him,” the 53-year-old said.

On Brexit, Trump said he believed Britain would follow through with its divorce from the EU. “I would think it will happen and it probably should happen. This is a great, great country and it wants its own identity, it wants to have its own borders, it wants to run its own affairs. This is a very, very special place.

“As the UK makes preparations to exit the European Union, the United States is committed to a phenomenal trade deal between the US and the UK,” Trump said.

He said he had refused to meet opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, a longtime socialist who criticised Trump at a protest in central London on Tuesday.

Trump called Queen Elizabeth a “fantastic woman” and thanked Britain for the state visit ,which he said had cemented the greatest alliance the world had ever known.

May praised the “precious and profound” alliance between the US and Britain but said that friends could also be open where they disagreed – such as on the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate agreement.

Additional reporting by Reuters and Agence France-Presse