China’s foreign minister has urged countries not to use “fabricated” excuses to block Huawei, as Vodafone Group joined a list of companies that are shunning the telecommunications equipment supplier.
“Using national power to tarnish and take measures against a certain company, without any evidence, is both unfair and immoral,” foreign minister Wang Yi told reporters late on Friday as he wrapped up a trip to France and Italy.
While Wang said every nation was entitled to protect its information security, that approach shouldn’t be abused, according to a statement on the ministry of foreign affairs’ website. He didn’t mention Huawei by name, or Vodafone’s announcement on Friday, but was responding to a question about the recent global crackdown on the Chinese supplier.
The move by Vodafone follows a decision by BT Group to rip Huawei gear out of the backbone of its UK mobile network. Deutsche Telekom, Europe’s largest carrier and a major Huawei customer, is also reviewing its purchasing strategy.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has been pushing allies to block Huawei from 5G wireless networks, citing fears that China could use its equipment for spying — something the firm’s executives have denied. China’s largest telecoms equipment supplier faces bans in the US, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. — (c) 2019 Bloomberg LP