UK Huawei 5G decision: will there be blowback from ‘disappointed’ ally US?
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been touting prospects of a big trade deal US after Brexit
- But UK decision over Huawei’s role in 5G network could complicate ‘special relationship’
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was to arrive in London Wednesday for talks with the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, following the UK’s decision to ignore US threats and allow Huawei a limited role in the country’s 5G network. But as of late Tuesday, all signs indicated that a full-blown row between the two allied powers had been averted.
With the UK due to leave the European Union on Friday, the government is hoping for speedy talks with the US to secure a transatlantic trade deal. At the same time it has pledged to roll out fast broadband across the country and maintain growing business ties with China.
The US has been lobbying London hard to exclude Huawei from its networks, threatening to withdraw cooperation within the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network if it failed to do so.
Australia and the US have already banned the Shenzhen-based company from 5G. The other two members of the alliance, Canada and New Zealand, have yet to decide on Huawei’s role in their 5G plans, but could follow the UK’s lead.
