China reacts with fury after UK bans Huawei from 5G networks

China reacted with fury after the UK said Huawei Technologies will be banned from its next-generation mobile networks, in a sweeping crackdown on the company that will delay 5G roll-out and hit businesses with billions of pounds in extra costs.

Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to Britain, called the decision “disappointing and wrong,” and said it had become “questionable whether the UK can provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for companies from other countries.”

Under the blueprint agreed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, operators will not be able to add any new Huawei components to their 5G networks after December 31 this year. All equipment made by the Shenzhen-based company that is already installed will need to be removed from 5G infrastructure by 2027.

The announcement was a reversal of the position set out by Johnson’s government less than six months ago, and represents a diplomatic victory for Donald Trump, who initially failed to persuade the UK to block the company from its networks, but then imposed fresh sanctions against Huawei that forced the retreat. Other countries may now follow.

Trump’s National Security Adviser Robert C. O’Brien, in Paris to discuss China with his European counterparts, welcomed the announcement, saying it “reflects a growing international consensus that Huawei and other untrusted vendors pose a threat to national security, as they remain beholden to the Chinese Communist Party.”