Politics

Trump speaks to Boris Johnson about security as UK nears Huawei decision


Donald Trump discussed the security of telecommunications networks with Boris Johnson, the White House said, as Britain closes in on a decision on Huawei’s role in the country’s future 5G network.

The US administration told allies not to allow the Chinese tech giant to form part of their 5G networks, claiming it would be a security risk – something Huawei vehemently denies.

Security of telecommunications networks was discussed in a phone call between the two leaders on Friday, according to the White House, amid reports that UK officials have backed the firm to play a role.

The White House said on Friday: “The two leaders discussed important regional and bilateral issues, including working together to ensure the security of our telecommunications networks.”

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The prime minister spoke to President Trump. They discussed a range of issues, including cooperation to ensure the security of our telecommunications networks.”

The US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin will raise the issue in talks with the chancellor, Sajid Javid, at the weekend, in efforts to persuade the UK to exclude the Chinese firm from its telecommunications structure.

Britain is expected to make a final call next week on how to deploy Huawei equipment in its future 5G networks. The US has voiced significant concerns about the Chinese telecoms behemoth, which Washington fears could compromise British secrets.

Huawei, the world’s biggest producer of telecoms equipment, denies it is a vehicle for Chinese intelligence.

British officials have proposed granting Huawei a limited role in its 5G network, resisting US calls for a complete ban, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

Huawei is one of three principal suppliers of 4G mobile technology, and is the leader in supplying antennas and base stations, with a 35% share. It is expected to increase that in 5G because its technology is further ahead. Its principal rivals, Ericsson of Sweden and Nokia of Finland, are deemed to be more expensive by UK officials and leading phone companies such as Vodafone and BT.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Commerce has withdrawn a rule aimed at further reducing sales to Huawei, amid concerns from the Department of Defense the move would harm US businesses.

The decision to pull the rule from the formal review process leaves its future in jeopardy and highlights deep divides within the Trump administration over how best to approach the blacklisted telecoms giant and the broader war with China over technological dominance.

Trump’s administration plans a cabinet-level meeting next week to discuss the rule, which could be revived, killed or rewritten, one source said, amid pushback from the US treasury as well.

Commerce drafted the rule that would lower the threshold only on exports to Huawei to 10% and expand the purview to include non-technical goods like consumer electronics including non-sensitive chips.

The US, under current conditions, can require a license or block the export of many high-tech products shipped to China from other countries, if US-made components made up more than 25% of the value.

In an unusual move, when the Pentagon expressed disagreement with the proposal, the commerce department pulled it out of the review process.



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.