Japan to Exclude Huawei, ZTE From Government Contracts - Reports

TOKYO (Sputnik) – The Japanese authorities are planning to exclude Chinese telecom equipment producers Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation from public procurement amid the US ban on the government use of components produced by the two firms due to concerns over their alleged links to Chinese intelligence, media reported on Friday.

Japanese government officials will agree to bar the two Chinese firms from participation in public procurement at a meeting on Monday, the Kyodo news agency reported, citing a Japanese government source.

However, the names of the two companies would not be openly voiced during the meeting due to the possible effect of such move on Chinese-Japanese relations, the outlet added.

"There have been global concerns about the two companies' ties with the Chinese government. But we need to make sure that we will not stop the recent trend of improvement in Japan-China ties," the source told the outlet.

The Japanese authorities’ intentions to prevent the two Chinese companies from securing government contracts have emerged amid the US move to ban the use of components produced by Huawei and ZTE by government agencies and contractors, introduced in August.

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In a similar move on the same month, Australia blocked the two firms from participating in the development of its 5G network.

In November, the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States has been urging its allies, including Japan, to abandon the use of Huawei due to the security concerns.