London (AFP)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on critics of Huawei to offer alternatives to the Chinese telecoms equipment manufacturer, which has a lead over its competitors in 5G technology.
Prime Minister, when questioned on the BBC Breakfast program, said that "the British deserve to have access to the best technology possible", recalling that his government wanted to focus on modernizing infrastructure and in particular providing internet broadband for everyone.
"Now if people object to one brand or another, they have to tell us that it is the alternative," he added, alluding to Huawei's advance in 5G, the new generation of mobile telephony intended in particular for connected objects.
Johnson, who has enjoyed a solid majority in Parliament since the December legislative election, however, said he does not want to "install infrastructure that is detrimental to our national security or our ability to cooperate with our partners of the Five Eyes intelligence network ", which brings together five countries (United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand).
MI5 chief Andrew Parker said on Monday that the British government could work with Huawei in 5G without compromising its ties to U.S. intelligence.
These statements come the day after a US delegation visited London to persuade Downing Street not to work with Huawei.
The United States has been saying for months that there are close ties between the company and the Chinese government and that its equipment could be used for spying, which Huawei has always denied.
In April 2019, a leak in the British press revealed that the conservative government of the day, led by Theresa May, was about to concede Huawei's limited participation in the 5G network. The Chinese equipment supplier would not have been involved in the heart of the network but on less sensitive infrastructure.
The British political class is divided on the subject. Conservative parliamentarian Bob Seely has just asked the Foreign Affairs Committee to examine the compatibility of the Chinese manufacturer with the national network, saying that an agreement with the technology giant would open the door to the British network in Beijing.
© 2020 AFP