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28 January 2020 Great Britain will continue to use components supplied by the Chinese giant Huawei for the construction of the new 5G telecommunications system in the Kingdom. The government of Boris Johnson announced it after a decisive meeting of the National Security Council, specifying however that Huawei will be excluded from any role in the supply of "sensitive parts" of the network. The US had pushed for a total ban on the Chinese holding company, which Washington accuses of ties to Beijing's intelligence.

Among the limitations imposed by London on the participation of the Chinese giant - in addition to the ban on involvement in server components - a maximum limit of 35% of the total supplies of the 5G project and the prohibition for the Chinese to operate near military bases or sites are indicated British nuclear power plants.

Huawei's first reaction is however positive, despite the additional restrictions set by the Johnson government compared to the initial indications of a few months ago by the Theresa May government. Johnson, however, is weighed down by criticism from the opposition and a part of parliamentarians from his own conservative party, but above all from the expected reactions of the USA from his 'friend' Donald Trump, an important bank in view of Brexit.

The British premier, moreover, had to struggle, according to the BBC, between the threat of repercussions in relations with the American ally (also in the field of intelligence cooperation within the English-speaking countries of the Five Eyes group); and that of Beijing, a growing economic partner, of commercial retaliation where Huawei had been completely cut off. The Chinese company for its part denies any suspicion of complicity in espionage activities.

"We are reassured by the confirmation that we will continue to work with our customers to move forward on the path of 5G implementation." This is the hot comment from Victor Zhang, number one of Huawei UK, to the decision taken by London. "It's a decision that gives the UK access to world-leading technology and ensures market competition," he added in a statement.