Britain Says US Pressure Will Impact Huawei Decision

The Trump administration, which maintains sanctions on Huawei on the basis of national and cyber security and restricts it from purchasing US goods, has turned up the heat on allies by demanding they not allow Huawei access to their 5G technology to prevent potential spying on sensitive information and data.

British digital minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday that Britain will be unable to ignore US pressure regarding its decision to include Chinese Telecoms company Huawei in its new 5G networks infrastructure.

Huawei has denied the accusations repeatedly and says that acting as a security threat is not consistent with its "business interests". The company has even offered to sign a “no-spy” treaty.

Wright told reporters that it would be unrealistic “not to recognise” the nature of having a “hugely interconnected sector” and disregard the US administration's decision.

“They are all factors to be considered and we are considering them.”

Wright told British telecoms companies that until the government has reached a resolution, they should take “all due caution” when launching 5G services with Huawei technology.

A decision was made to restrict Huawei from core parts of the 5G network but allow limited access to non-core parts by Britain’s National Security Council, currently chaired by Prime Minister Theresa May, who hosted a meeting to discuss the Huawei issue in April.

Mrs. May’s decision to allow Huawei even peripheral access to the network was met with disapproval from intelligence chiefs and the defence and foreign secretaries, Gavin Williamson and Jeremy Hunt, on the basis that it could damage US-UK relations.

A report from the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based neoconservative think tank, said that to allow the company access to Britain's next-generation mobile-phone network would be a detriment to security and alleged that Huawei is part of the “Chinese party-state apparatus”.

Sources claim that a final decision by senior members of the British cabinet was due to take place in recent weeks, but May’s resignation as prime minister has impeded the process. She is expected to be out of office by the end of July and it will be left to her successor to bring the matter to a conclusion.