As Huawei continues to battle security-related allegations by the United States, the UK is also making its decision of whether or not to let the Chinese company into their 5G networks.
While several British cybersecurity officials are confident in the UK’s ability to combat the risk presented by Huawei’s supposedly compromised equipment, a report published on Wednesday by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) claimed that it would be a mistake.
The report from the top security think tank said that “allowing Huawei’s participation is at best naive, at worst irresponsible,” suggesting that taking the risk could possibly compromise the UK’s own communications infrastructure.
It also warned the British government to stay alert for any interference from the Chinese government, be it in politics, research, or other fronts. The report is written by Charles Parton, a former diplomat who spent more than two decades in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
A spokesperson from the UK’s Chinese Embassy, Zeng Rong, said that “discrediting a company without any concrete evidence misleads the public, violates rules of commerce and damages business confidence.”
She also added, “The right approach is to be rational towards foreign companies and support fair competition.”
Huawei has repeatedly denied the allegations but the US government is still pushing its allies all over the world to block Huawei from 5G networks in fear of a security breach.
