Jeremy Hunt urges caution over Huawei helping build UK’s 5G network as the firm is ‘legally obliged to cooperate with Chinese intelligence’

THE Foreign Secretary has said Britain must be cautious about allowing Huawei to help build the UK’s 5G network because they are legally obliged to co-operate with Chinese intelligence services.

Jeremy Hunt is the first Cabinet minister to publicly voice concern about Theresa May’s decision to supply the technology for “non core” parts of the ultra fast network.

Jeremy Hunt has urged caution over Huawei's 5G bid — Jeremy Hunt has urged caution over Huawei’s 5G bid

Mr Hunt said: “We are right to have a degree of caution about the role of large Chinese companies because of the degree of control the Chinese state is able to exercise over them in the way that would not be possible if they were large Western companies.

“That doesn’t mean to say that their role is automatically malign, but there are things like the 2017 law which requires all Chinese companies, whatever their ownership, to co-operate with Chinese intelligence services on any occasion.

“Obviously, as we come to our decision, we have to weigh those considerations very carefully.”