British prime minister Boris Johnson has announced that Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei will be completely removed from the UK’s national 5G networks by the end of 2027, despite London having approved a restricted role for the Chinese firm only earlier this year.
The decision was taken in a meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday (14 July), following new advice by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre on the impact of US sanctions against the telecommunications firm, said EUobserver on Wednesday.
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden said, “it is the right one (decision) for the UK telecoms networks, for our national security and our economy, both now and indeed in the long run.”
In a comment on the event Xinhua said on Wednesday that so far, no one — not even U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien who try to bite Huawei whenever possible — has been able to present any credible evidence to prove any security threat theories.
“We are probably the most open and transparent organization in the world. We are probably the most poked and prodded organization too,” John Suffolk, Huawei’s global cybersecurity and privacy officer, once said in an interview with the BBC.
In a statement published shortly after the ban was issued, Ed Brewster, a spokesperson for Huawei UK, said the decision “threatens to move Britain into the digital slow lane.”
Over the decades, Huawei has played an integral part in building Britain’s 3G and 4G networks, with a proven track record. The Chinese company is also a leader in the field of next-generation telecommunications, with the most 5G patents globally as of 2019 and the largest share of 5G standard contributions, according to a study by market intelligence company IPlytics.
More importantly, the ban will overshadow Britain’s cooperation with China, which has been gaining momentum in recent years, and is of particular significance for the European country to jumpstart a strong economic rebound in the post-Brexit and post-pandemic era.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this year that he is still committed to the “golden era” of the relations between China and Britain. Thus the British government should do its fare share in preventing external forces from making bad blood in its partnership with China./news agencies-argumentum. al
