Berlingske and DR state that China's ambassador to Denmark, Feng Tie, put pressure on Faroese Føroya Tele to enter into an agreement with Chinese Huawei to expand 5G networks in the realm.

The Faroe Islands have in recent years tried to enter into a free trade agreement with China. The ambassador, at a meeting with teammate Bárdur Nielsen, should have let him understand that it was just to forget, unless the choice fell on the Chinese telecom giant, the media says, referring to audio recordings.

Nothing for the public

Nielsen says that neither he nor anyone else in the Faroe Islands has felt pressured, although he does not deny that a possible free trade agreement could be at stake.

- It is a conversation between two countries and it is not something that the public as such needs to know about, he tells DR.

The Chinese embassy in Denmark also refuses the information.

"The Chinese ambassador to Denmark performed his normal duties when discussing with the Faroese government about the relations between the two sides," the embassy said in an email to DR.

The United States warns

The United States has also become involved in the issue of 5G network expansion in the Faroe Islands. The issue was raised at a recent NATO meeting, where US President Donald Trump met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, among others.

US Ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands, has also warned to let Huawei build 5G networks in the Faroe Islands. The US believes that the technology can be used for Chinese authorities to spy, and that Huawei is required by Chinese law to assist.

Frederiksen has in turn emphasized that the Faroe Islands' telecom issues are a Faroese concern.